World Cup 2026: Five big questions as football’s biggest tournament kicks off

WHAT WILL TIGHTENED SECURITY LOOK LIKE?

Given the size and scale of this tournament, safety is one of the biggest issues that organisers need to tackle.

Aside from scaled-up security operations, patrolling robo-dogs and strict access controls, the US Federal Aviation Administration will bar drones over World Cup matches and related fan events across the country to fortify security.

Across the border, close to 100,000 security officers will be deployed by the government to the three host cities, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, as well as other places hosting training centres and team base camps, reported CNN.

When it comes to Canada, the government will allocate up to US$145 million for security during the World Cup, the country’s public safety minister announced previously.

There have also been fears over possible civil immigration enforcement at games in the United States.

However, this will not happen at least for World Cup games or events in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said earlier this month.

Immigration raids by masked ICE agents in Los Angeles last year sparked a wave of demonstrations in the region. 

“I personally called the head of Homeland Security here for the L.A. region and what he stated is that there will be federal agents … because it’s going to take all of us to make sure that all the venues, the scoped and unscoped events, are secure,” he said.

“But in regard to civil immigration enforcement, they told us that specifically would not be occurring at any of the games.”