With less than 150 days until the opening matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, federal officials are accelerating coordination with U.S. host regions — and North Texas is emerging as one of the tournament’s most critical hubs.
Representatives from the White House FIFA World Cup Task Force recently conducted a public site visit in North Texas as part of broader interagency planning involving the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and FIFA, according to Fox4 News.
North Texas is scheduled to host nine World Cup matches at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, including a semifinal. The region will also house the International Broadcast Center at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and a major fan festival planned for Fair Park.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA World Cup Task Force, emphasized the scale of North Texas’ role during the visit, according to Fox4 News.
“Everything is bigger in Texas. Well, no other site has nine games. The fact that you guys are hosting the IBC — the International Broadcast Center. Fair Park, I think it’s gonna be the largest fan fest of the 11 fan fests here in the United States. I think it’s gonna be an unbelievable example to international visitors, I think also to Americans.”
Demand at Historic Levels
The push for federal coordination comes as global demand for the 2026 tournament reaches levels rarely seen in international sports.
According to an exclusive report by POLITICO, Giuliani disclosed during a public security summit hosted by U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs that FIFA has received more than 350 million ticket requests worldwide for the World Cup lottery.
“Talking to FIFA last week, there are over 350 million ticket requests for their lotteries,” Giuliani said, according to POLITICO.
Only about 7 million total tickets are expected to be available across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, which will jointly host the expanded 48-team tournament. FIFA has said nearly 2 million tickets were sold during the first two phases of ticket sales.
“That’ll tell you alone just how many people are excited here to come to the United States for the World Cup,” Giuliani said, POLITICO reported.
Security Moves From Planning to Execution
Federal officials have made clear that security is now a top priority as planning shifts toward execution.
Earlier this month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded $250 million in counter-drone grants to the 11 states hosting World Cup matches, including Texas. The funding is intended to help state and local law enforcement agencies detect and mitigate threats posed by unmanned aircraft systems during the tournament.
The funding was authorized under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, signed by President Donald Trump.
Giuliani has also pointed to the tournament’s massive global audience as a driving factor behind heightened federal involvement.
“I think a great comparison is the Super Bowl,” Giuliani said, according to POLITICO. “About 130 million people watched the last Super Bowl. The last World Cup final, 1.6 billion people watched it.”
With the official match schedule expected to be released next month, federal, state, and local agencies continue to scale preparations for what is expected to be the largest sporting event ever hosted in the United States — with North Texas squarely at the center of the global spotlight.
