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The World Cup will be held in 16 different venues this summer, 11 of which host NFL games each fall and winter.
You might think that not much will change on the safety front, but whatever NFL fans see, it will be on steroids, and for good reason.
48 teams will compete for the coveted trophy in North America in 104 games, and almost everything we are used to seeing when attending a sporting event will be thrown out the window.
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Fans go through security during a joint training session for the men’s national team at Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine on June 8, 2026 ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty Images)
To use MetLife Stadium, which will host the finals, for example, NJ Transit train tickets cost $98, Penn Station will be closed to non-World Cup attendees four hours before games, and no parking is available except for “premium parking” at nearly $300 at the nearby American Dream mall.
But on the security front, there are massive changes, because for the vast majority of the fans in attendance, everything will be new.
“When you have different people from different countries flown in with different languages, currencies and unfamiliarity with the subway systems, you have to add layers of rigor,” said Peter Evans, CEO of security firm Xtract One Technologies, in an interview with Pakinomist Digital.
Evans also mentioned how the environment of a heightened political environment could become trying rather quickly.
“You have people who have flown in just for that game and spent a lot of money. They might bring their political opinions or issues they want to speak about at an event like MetLife Stadium, which has global attention and scrutiny. The security risks are different than a Super Bowl,” Evans said.
Teams like Evans’ Xtract One will team up with security teams from FIFA, local law enforcement and even other agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who will be on the side of security but not customs enforcement, hoping for as smooth sailing as possible.
“People start planning for these activities years in advance because there is so much complexity involving local law enforcement, DHS, FBI, CIA and Interpol. It takes a lot of coordination in terms of technology, social media scanning and even counter-drone activities. It’s especially complex now because of AI software, smartphones and drones,” Evans said.
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will host matches during the 2026 World Cup. (Getty Images)
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“Security professionals don’t see each other as competition. They share a common interest in protecting people. You’ll see organizations like ours working with competitors to deliver the right solution.”
It also shouldn’t surprise anyone if President Donald Trump is in attendance for several games — he attended the Club World Cup Finals at MetLife last July, and he just attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals. If so, Evans said it should be announced sooner rather than later “so people have time to prepare accurately.”
“You have multiple layers because these activities are a potential target for someone who wants fame and influence. When you add a president to the welcoming ceremony, it just increases the level of security that much more and requires coordination,” he said.
Given the number of matches in such a short space of time, Evans believes security teams will change protocols immediately and take notes from previous matches across the continent. And while it is almost impossible to avoid conflict completely, Evans believes that it is possible to minimize the risk as best as possible.
“I think individuals would be very surprised at how much sharing and coordination goes on. We see this with arenas and stadiums; for example, during a Harry Styles tour, all the venues would come together to share what they learned — like people hiding objects in Big Bird or banana clothes. There’s an incredible amount of sharing in a coordinated call fashion after each event, so Eva can adapt the next match shape and debriefings before each event,” he said.
USA fans go through security checks as they arrive to watch practice in Irvine, California on June 8, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
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“The primary focus is to minimize the risk and minimize the impact. You have millions of people participating with their children and families. Ultimately, you want to make sure that no one in that fan base is negatively impacted. Is anyone going to be drunk and disorderly? Probably. How quickly can you mitigate that risk so that the general population has the experience they should have?
“The victory: no one gets hurt.”
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