FBI director says 2026 World Cup security was like guarding 78 Super Bowls

July 22, 2026 • 0 • min read

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FBI director says 2026 World Cup security was like guarding 78 Super Bowls

KEY TAKEAWAYS

FBI compared World Cup security to protecting 78 Super Bowls in 38 days.
Nearly 5,000 FBI personnel helped secure 78 US World Cup matches.
Authorities seized over 700 drones and detected more than 1,600.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup presented one of the most demanding security operations ever undertaken in North America, with FBI Director Kash Patel comparing the challenge to protecting 78 Super Bowls in little more than a month.

The expanded tournament featured 104 matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico over 38 days, making it the largest World Cup in history. In the United States alone, 78 matches were staged across 11 host venues, drawing more than 6.5 million spectators.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Patel praised the efforts of the FBI and its domestic and international partners after the tournament concluded without any major criminal attacks.

That's what we executed on.

We're proud to report that, thank God, and thankfully to the men and women of the FBI and our partners, we had no significant criminal attacks during this World Cup.

Patel said the scale of the operation was unprecedented, noting that the tournament carried a Special Event Assessment Rating Level One (SEAR One) designation - the same security classification assigned to events such as the Super Bowl and the World Series.

Nearly 5,000 FBI personnel deployed

According to Patel, the FBI assigned almost 5,000 personnel to World Cup security operations.

More than 4,000 agents and staff came from FBI field offices, whilst around 800 personnel were deployed from FBI headquarters. They were supported by 59 Homeland Security task forces, alongside state, local and international law enforcement agencies.

Attendance records were also broken during the tournament, with an estimated seven million fans travelling to watch the expanded 48-team competition.

Hundreds of drones seized

One of the biggest security concerns throughout the tournament involved unauthorised drones.

Patel revealed that authorities seized more than 700 drones ahead of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina after detecting over 1,600 drones operating in restricted airspace.

If you're in the space, we're gonna take you down. And that's why we took down over 700.

He explained that whilst some drone operators were simply causing disruption, others had committed criminal offences by breaching Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations or failing to register their aircraft.

Officials were particularly alert to the possibility of drones being used to carry explosives or chemical agents.

We're not taking any chances.

We, the FBI, specifically train for the worst of the worst.

Security concerns surrounding drones intensified following an alleged conspiracy involving four men accused of planning a drone attack targeting the south lawn of the White House during the UFC Freedom 250 event in June.

International intelligence played a key role

The World Cup security operation also relied heavily on international cooperation.

A Joint Operations Center brought together representatives from 46 of the 48 participating nations, allowing intelligence to be shared in real time throughout the tournament.

They're working overseas in their home locations and giving us information back in real time on any single threat that's coming in.

Patel praises Trump administration

Patel also credited US President Donald Trump for establishing the White House Task Force responsible for coordinating security preparations.

Led by Andrew Giuliani, the task force brought together federal agencies alongside state and local authorities.

Like anything in government, to succeed, you need tremendous leadership.

President Trump had the foresight to establish the White House Task Force.

He added that the administration's objective extended beyond public safety.

President Trump set the standard: Not only were we going to have the largest and safest sporting event in the history of the world, but we were going to make sure everyone had a great time.

They wanted not just safety and security, but to show off America to the world. And I think we did it brilliantly.

Trump has since expressed his desire for the United States to host the FIFA World Cup independently in the future, rather than as part of a joint bid with Canada and Mexico.

The earliest opportunity for the US to stage the tournament again would be 2038, with the 2030 World Cup set to be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, whilst Saudi Arabia is scheduled to host the 2034 edition.