5 Ways Host Cities Can Prepare for a Safe and Successful 2026 FIFA World Cup

The upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 will bring millions of visitors, worldwide media attention, and unmatched logistical demands to host cities. For municipal agencies responsible for public safety, the sum of athletes, spectators, local merchants, transit systems, hospitality, and emergency services makes coordination, visibility, and preparedness far more than routine. In cities and surrounding communities preparing to host matches, the difference between a seamless experience and avoidable chaos often lies in how well operations are planned and executed. 

Below are five practical ways event-hosting jurisdictions can prepare for a safe, successful tournament:

1. Coordinate Early, Coordinate Often

Once a host city is selected, agencies should engage in multi-departmental alignment across law enforcement, fire & EMS, traffic and transportation, public health, venue operations, and business and community stakeholders. It is essential to public safety to establish common communication channels, shared data access, and incident-management workflows. Regular tabletop exercises, live drills, and migrating data into interoperable platforms help ensure that when real events unfold, everyone is working from the same playbook. 

FlockOS connects every device, system, and agency by unifying license plate reader (LPR) data, video, drone footage, audio detection, CAD, and more, so teams can see and act on everything in one place.

With Flock Safety’s technology (for example, Flock OS®’s Response Planner and Flock911), agencies gain a shared incident-planning platform and real-time coordination tools. By connecting law enforcement, venue security, transportation officials, and city leadership into common dashboards and alerting workflows, you can reduce duplication and delays. 

2. Visibility Beats Reaction

During an event of this scale, reaction alone is insufficient. You need meaningful visibility across the city, along surrounding transportation corridors, and at venue ingress/ egress points. 

Consider activating a Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) or command center using Flock’s solution that integrates traffic, video feeds, incident reports, crowd flows, and license plate reader data. These centers become the “nerve center” during tournament operations, enabling agencies to monitor vehicles of interest, detect unusual patterns, and expedite timely responses. 

Flock Drone as First Responder (DFR) adds a dynamic layer of aerial visibility to any major event operation. DFR can be rapidly deployed to provide live overhead coverage, guiding first responders with real-time situational awareness. With powerful zoom and thermal imaging, DFR units deliver clear perspectives day or night, helping teams locate individuals, assess crowd density, or identify vehicles from above. This bird’s-eye view enables RTCCs to make faster, data-driven decisions, ensuring resources are deployed precisely where they’re needed.

3. Secure Beyond the Stadium

Major sporting events draw attention not just to stadiums but to surrounding neighborhoods, transportation hubs, fan zones, and temporary gatherings. Threats can range from unauthorized drones flying over venues and crowd bottlenecks at transit hubs to fireworks or pyrotechnics near fan areas and route security for athletes or VIPs. It’s not enough to secure the stadium alone. 

By deploying strategically located LPRs, video, and audio detection across fan zones and transport corridors, municipalities gain the visibility needed to anticipate and intercept threats rather than responding post-event, and each layer of protection works seamlessly together. Flock’s mobile security trailers can also be deployed in high-risk locations as an added crime deterrent. 

Audio detection distinguishes gunshots from fireworks, and security teams receive instant alerts and context to quickly verify and locate the source. This helps manage crowds, reduce false alarms, and prevent confusion or panic when every second counts.

4. Protect Fans Before They Post

In 2026, most visitors will bring smartphones, check social apps, tag photos, and livestream fan zones. This creates a second dimension of risk: social-media escalation of incidents, viral crowd behavior, or impromptu gatherings. Public-safety agencies must monitor not only physical flows but also signals of emerging crowds or spontaneous incidents trending online.

With Flock’s FreeForm search and alerting features, a phrase or description can be searched across video, such as “soccer jersey with a purple backpack,” enabling you to escalate a social media tip about a person into an operational alert far faster.* Meanwhile, FlockOS alerts enable instant cross-department communication. 

Mobile security trailers can help bridge the gap between what’s happening online and what’s unfolding on the ground. As crowds gather and social activity spikes, mobile security trailers provide high-visibility crime deterrence and 24/7 video coverage wherever it’s needed. The mobile security trailer live feeds integrate seamlessly with LPRs for a connected security ecosystem, while talk-down features enable safety teams to issue warning messages or crowd directions in real time. Instant alerts and on-demand footage help agencies verify incidents quickly and respond before they turn into public-safety emergencies.

*People can only be searched on video, not LPR.

5. Build Safety That Outlasts the Event

A world-class tournament is a finite event, but the infrastructure you put in place can deliver long-term dividends for the city and the surrounding region. Thoughtful investment in public-safety technology, data-sharing, and operational alignment builds civic trust, supports economic development, and positions your community for legacy benefits long after the final whistle.

​​Salt Lake City’s 2002 Winter Games led to several lasting public-safety technology upgrades. One significant investment was the Utah Communications Agency Network (UCAN), a system that enabled different agencies to communicate and supported millions of radio calls during the event. This network continued to serve as Utah’s statewide communications backbone after the Olympics ended.

The city also installed an extensive, permanent CCTV system, including fixed and programmable cameras at Utah Olympic Park, along with a multi-agency public-safety command center for incident reporting and transportation monitoring. Evaluations after the Olympic Games found that these investments improved real-time awareness, long-term emergency response coordination, and planning capabilities for major events, setting standards that Utah continued to build on in the years that followed.

With the Flock Safe City annual subscription model, agencies can turn a tournament-focused readiness effort into lasting capability through a network of sensors, cameras, analytics, and shared intelligence that remains active long after the event. Your city could move from event mode to everyday operational readiness by using a single connected platform to detect incidents early, investigate with complete context, and coordinate faster, safer responses.

Safe City Subscription for Host Cities

The best host cities for FIFA understand that success is measured by safety, smooth operations, fan experience, and reputational strength. If your city or agency is preparing to host in 2026, start now. Deploying a platform like Flock can be the backbone for planning, execution, and legacy readiness. 

Learn how Flock’s Safe City platform supports FIFA 2026 host cities.