The FBI director, Kash Patel, gave a positive assessment following the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, describing the massive security operation as the largest and most successful in the organization's history. The tournament ended with zero security incidents, despite occurring in a fragile global context with terrorist threats involved.
Patel indicated that this World Cup represented the largest allocation of resources in FBI history for a single event, with nearly 5,000 personnel dedicated exclusively to securing the 16 host cities, the 40 base camps of the teams, and the various fan zones spread across the country. He added that all world attendance records were broken and that an impressive logistical effort was made during the 38 days of competition.
"President Trump promised that his administration would provide the safest and most enjoyable environment for FIFA," Patel emphasized. "He started by creating the White House Task Force for FIFA about 16 months ago, and we got to work immediately," the government official added.
Patel also highlighted the complexity of the operation by noting that the tournament coincided temporally with other massive celebrations such as the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States and the historic UFC event held at the White House.
