World Cup war games: Counter-drones, cyberattacks and stadium ICE raids top US security concerns as FIFA comes to town
More than half a billion ticket requests have been made for World Cup 2026 games, which will be hosted by cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico, FIFA reported this month.
The U.S. is expecting more than 5 million international visitors, not to mention the tens of thousands of soccer fans here at home, who will not only pack stadiums but also flood fan zones from coast to coast, including in New York, Los Angeles, Kansas City and Atlanta, over the six-week tournament, which kicks off on June 11.
This once-in-a-generation opportunity also brings a nationwide, multifaceted rollout of security measures to prepare for potential threats ranging from drone incursions to cyberattacks.
However, some human rights advocates have expressed fears that the Trump administration will use law enforcement operations around the World Cup to target migrants as part of the White House’s aggressive deportation policy.
“Under the Trump administration’s policies, immigration enforcement at major sporting events can tear families apart and could expose people fleeing persecution to life-threatening danger,” Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
And there is also trepidation from fans traveling from abroad after the Trump administration broadened its visa ban to 75 countries.
Despite announcing the FIFA Priority Appointment Schedule System, or FIFA PASS, which will expedite visa processing for individuals cleared by the Department of State, FIFA fans from around the world are still questioning whether or not they’ll be allowed to enter and travel within the U.S. without federal harassment, according to the BBC.
The Department of Homeland Security announced earlier this month that it plans to invest $115 million in counter-drone technologies to protect World Cup games, and also events celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary this year.
The funds will be managed by a new DHS office that will focus on buying and deploying drone and counter-drone tech.
“Drones represent the new frontier of American air superiority,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.
FEMA, which is under the umbrella of DHS, said in December that it had allocated $350 million to the 11 states hosting World Cup matches. That money is earmarked for the purchase of counter-drone tech.
While most drones are more disruptive than they are overtly dangerous — though there have been cases of falling devices causing serious injury to people on the ground — the war in Ukraine has proven that even relatively inexpensive, commercially available racing drones, outfitted with explosives, can be used as potent weapons.
U.S. officials reportedly see the potential threat of a drone attack as more than a fringe possibility.
Last week, leaders from the military, law enforcement, and local governments gathered to participate in “tabletop exercises overwhelmingly focused” on drone attacks at World Cup events, where large numbers of people will be gathered in places at predetermined times.
