The United States is heading into its first home World Cup match under a security climate that goes well beyond football.
As one of the tournament hosts, the US has already been preparing for a massive law enforcement and defence operation, with federal agencies treating the event as a major national security challenge.
Those concerns have only grown since the US went to war with Iran in February, and tensions have spiked again this week.
Just hours before the American team was due to kick off its World Cup campaign, the country’s military headquarters became the centre of a scare that highlighted how sensitive the moment has become.
Pentagon scare ends as false alarm before US World Cup opener
According to CNN, on Thursday, the Pentagon was locked down and partially evacuated after a hazardous materials sensor triggered an alert about a possible air quality issue.
Multiple floors and corridors were affected, and emergency and hazardous materials teams responded. The Arlington County Fire Department also assisted the Pentagon Force Protection Agency during the incident.
The alarm was serious enough that some officers inside the building allegedly wore gas masks and chemical protective gear, while internal guidance advised that additional testing could take up to two hours.
The concern was reportedly linked to a sensor detecting possible anthrax. However, sources later told CNN that the system had malfunctioned, and the incident was treated as a false alarm.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said normal operations resumed at 1:31pm, adding that testing had confirmed there was no hazard.
The timing made the incident impossible to ignore. The US men’s team are set to face Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in California on Friday night, just as World Cup security planning moves from theory into practice.
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