FBI Director Kash Patel explains the elite security measures that went into making the 2026 FIFA World Cup safe despite its scale.
The 2026 World Cup was a major security undertaking, being hosted across three countries and bringing in millions of fans to attend the games.
The United States held a massive burden with over 75 games hosted in the first-ever 48-team World Cup, with the FBI now revealing how they managed to make it through the entire World Cup with zero major security incidents.
The 18-month plan to ensure the 2026 FIFA World Cup is safe
FBI Director Kash Patel shared an extensive message after the 2026 World Cup’s end, highlighting how the FBI mobilized 5,000 personnel across 16 cities to ensure there were no security incidents during the tournament.
“The 2026 FIFA World Cup was the largest sporting event in the history of the world, shattering the previous attendance record by double digits. America- we got it done, ZERO major security incidents across our nation while we hosted the equivalent of 78 Super Bowls in 38 days, along with 40 base camps, endless fan zones, and celebrations in nearly every state.”
Patel highlighted how the plan began with the White House FIFA Task Force being established by President Trump 18 months ago, with the FBI then building a Joint Ops Center, International Police Coordination Center, Intelligence Coordination Center, and more from scratch.
As Patel revealed, this was the most resource-intensive work the FBI has ever done, but it was well worth it given the strong security standards maintained across the tournament.
The World Cup was hosted at the same time as multiple events celebrating the United States’ 250th birthday in July, including the UFC White House event.
The excessive security also created controversies, primarily in stringent immigration screenings, which made it a challenge for players from certain countries to travel. The United States also refused to grant entry to Somali referee Omar Artan.
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