U.S. security officials and FIFA-linked organizers warned lawmakers Tuesday that drones are a leading public safety threat ahead of World Cup matches this summer.
One witness said authorities do not have the capacity "across the board" to stop every potential attack as crowds gather in and around event sites.
Mike Sena, president of the National Fusion Center Association, told the House Homeland Security Committee that the risk is not limited to stadium interiors and includes areas where large crowds gather nearby.
"There are so many other locations that we don't have people trained and the equipment in place," Sena testified.
He said drones can go anywhere a crowd is "and immediately hit those targets and cause mass destruction, and we don't have the capability across the board to fight every drone threat."
The warning matters now because World Cup security planning is moving into its final stretch before matches begin in June, with federal, state, and local agencies coordinating on crowd protection, threat detection and emergency response.
The HHSC hearing was held Tuesday under the title "Before the Whistle: Assessing Information Sharing and Security Collaboration Ahead of Major Events," and listed Sena and Ray Martinez, chief operating officer of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Miami Host Committee, among the witnesses.
Sena oversees a nationwide network of fusion centers that share and analyze threat information among federal, state, local and private-sector partners.
His testimony underscored a central constraint for World Cup planners: even with countermeasures in place at key venues, coverage, training and equipment are not uniform across every location where spectators may gather.
At the same time, officials described ongoing planning and countermeasures, reflecting an effort to reduce risk.
Recent violence relevant to World Cup planning has centered on host-city disruption rather than attacks at FIFA matches.
Cartel-related violence near Guadalajara, a 2026 World Cup host city, led to postponed soccer matches, and road blockades, while FIFA said it was monitoring the situation and coordinating with Mexican authorities.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico had "all the guarantees" to host World Cup games safely despite the unrest.
The strongest pattern across recent examples is that risk is often diffuse: fan zones, surrounding public spaces, transit routes and host-city disruptions can create major safety problems even when stadium security is tighter.
The Guadalajara case is especially relevant because it shows how non-match violence can still affect scheduling and World Cup operations planning.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to open June 11 and conclude July 19, increasing pressure on host-city security planning as agencies prepare for large, dispersed crowds over more than a month of matches.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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