W’Cup: We deployed nearly 5,000 FBI personnel, reported no major security incident, says Director Patel
The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel, said on Monday that the agency deployed nearly 5,000 personnel to secure the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing it as the FBI’s largest-ever resource commitment to a single event.
Patel said the tournament concluded without any major security incident across the United States despite its unprecedented scale, with matches and related activities spread across 16 host cities over 38 days.
According to him, the operation involved the equivalent of securing 78 Super Bowls, alongside 40 team base camps, fan zones and celebrations held in nearly every state.
“The 2026 FIFA World Cup was the largest sporting event in the history of the world, shattering previous attendance records by double digits. America got it done, with zero major security incidents across our nation,” Patel said in a statement on Monday.
He attributed the success to months of planning that began after President Donald Trump established the White House FIFA Task Force about 16 months before the tournament.
Patel said the FBI coordinated security efforts through a Joint Operations Center, an International Police Coordination Center and an Intelligence Coordination Center, all created specifically for the competition to facilitate real-time intelligence gathering and information sharing.
He also disclosed that the bureau established its first counter-unmanned aircraft systems (counter-UAS) training school for the tournament, training law enforcement officers nationwide and intercepting more than 700 drones that entered restricted airspace around FIFA venues.
Patel commended federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as international partners, for their collaboration throughout the tournament, describing the operation as the safest and most secure FIFA World Cup in history.
The statement comes a day after the 2026 FIFA World Cup concluded on Sunday, with Spain defeating defending champions Argentina 1-0 in the final to lift the trophy after a month-long tournament hosted across the United States.
