World Cup events safe; terrorism, antisemitism concerns don’t materialize

By Bethany Blankley
The Center Square

Ahead of the World Cup, several groups expressed concerns about terrorism and national security threats posed by the international tournament that brought millions of people to America, including from Iran.

No terrorist attacks occurred. No violence or violent protests occurred, including at matches where Islamic players and fans participated.

The international tournament involved roughly 100 games in 11 U.S. cities as well as in Mexico and Canada over 38 days.

One key reason why the tournament was so successful was because the Trump administration and Congress took significant actions over the last year to ensure public safety, the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security said in an email to The Center Square.

Over the past year, the committee’s “Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events in the United States” worked to ensure World Cup events would be safe. It’s also working on implementing similar security measures for future mass-gathering events, it said.

Measures the committee took included Chairman U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-NY, hosting a roundtable with FIFA representatives and 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games organizers, followed by a committee hearing. Multiple hearings were held related to security oversight for mass-gathering events. Task force members also visited stadiums to learn of security measures, including MetLife Stadium, where the final match was held without incident.

After the tournament’s conclusion, the task force is preparing to release its final report in the coming weeks, it says. The report will “outline the threat landscape, oversight efforts, and recommendations to protect future events, including the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics.”

Ensuring national security during the games was “all hands-on deck,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary MarkWayne Mullin said. DHS secured the equivalent of 78 Super Bowls in 38 days in 11 U.S. cities.

Visitors also flew to watch 13 matches in Mexico and 13 in Canada “without one major incident. In fact, through the whole process, with the World Cup and all the games that were played, we only had one imminent threat, and it was thwarted pretty quick once it came in because we had great partnerships with local and state and federal – and that’s what happens when we’re able to work together,” he said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the U.S. made history at the World Cup with no security incident as more than five million fans were transported on planes, trains, buses, and by car in 11 U.S. cities for 78 games.

Concerns raised by the Lawfare Project calling for additional security measures against visitors who reportedly support Hamas and Hezbollah didn’t materialize. The group argued U.S. Customs and Border Protection had a “blind spot” when allowing people into the country, The Center Square reported. This was after CBP and DHS had already blocked entry of foreign nationals posing threats. An Iranian terrorist threat at the northern border was thwarted and one illegal foreign national was arrested.

CBP argues the security measures it put in place “paid off.” It expanded its use of AI powered biometric and advanced screening technologies to support security operations ahead of the World Cup. Beginning last October, CBP began processing and approving more than 5 million Electronic System for Travel Authorization applications and “enhanced the Trusted Traveler Programs to help make sure there is secure and efficient travel as part of the ongoing preparations for the FIFA World Cup.” Simultaneously, CBP processed more than 1.6 million applications for global entry to allow prescreened travelers expedited processing when entering the U.S. and Canada.

With 10 days left in the tournament, CBP said it had answered more than 78,000 traveler inquiries in their preferred language, enrolled more than 2.1 million Trusted Traveler applicants, hosted 14 Global Entry and NEXUS Enrollment Events overseas, and had enrolled an additional 10,000 new trusted travelers.

A claim made by Steinreich Communications and CyberWell that social media “content exploiting the 2026 FIFA World Cup to spread antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jewish control” also didn’t materialize at scale – 29 Facebook posts were flagged by the group as antisemitic.

According to FIFA, there were six million social media posts and comments made related to the World Cup that FIFA scanned through its “Social Media Protection Services” program. Of them, 225,000 were identified by AI and referred for human review. Of them, 89,000 “abusive posts” were detected. Of them, 1,000 accounts were identified for further investigation. In total, “181,000 hateful comments [were] hidden as part of moderation effort,” FIFA said.

One key security issue the committee said it prioritized ahead of the World Cup was the unauthorized use of drones. Its “budget reconciliation measures included $625 million for U.S. World Cup host cities to enhance security for the tournament.” The “One Big Beautiful Bill” allocated $500 million to DHS to support law enforcement efforts to address drone threats. Addressing drone threats at future events remains a top priority, it says.

The FBI said it seized more than 700 illegal drones and detected nearly 1,600 at 11 U.S. stadiums during the entire tournament.