The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has described the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the safest and most secure tournament in the competition’s history.
In a statement following the conclusion of the tournament released on Monday, the FBI said the World Cup became the largest sporting event ever staged, surpassing previous attendance records by a significant margin while successfully hosting what it described as the equivalent of “78 Super Bowls in 38 days.”
According to the bureau, security operations extended across 16 host cities, 40 team base camps, numerous fan zones, and celebrations held in nearly every state in the country.
The FBI credited President Donald Trump for directing preparations through the establishment of the White House FIFA Task Force approximately 16 months before the tournament began.
The bureau said nearly 5,000 FBI personnel from its headquarters, field offices, and international offices were deployed for the operation, making it the largest commitment of resources in the agency’s history for a single event.
To coordinate the massive security effort, the FBI established a Joint Operations Center, an International Police Coordination Center, and an Intelligence Coordination Center to facilitate real-time intelligence gathering and information sharing among security agencies.
The agency also disclosed that it created the first-ever counter-unmanned aircraft systems (counter-UAS) training school for law enforcement officers ahead of the tournament.
Despite several other major national events taking place during the same period, including UFC 250, SAIL 250 and State Fair 250, the FBI said security agencies successfully managed all operations without any major incidents.
The bureau praised the collaboration between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as international partners.
The FBI also acknowledged the support of FIFA, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the White House FIFA Task Force, and its Executive Director, Andrew Giuliani, for their roles in ensuring the successful delivery of the global football tournament.
