Planning Highlights
World Cup preparedness in Seattle and across Washington State will "continue as planned"
Seattle FWC26, the local organizing committee "has prioritized safety from its inception and has a thorough security plan in place,” Seattle Sports Commission President and CEO Beth Knox said in a statement to The Seattle Times. “The LOC has a strong relationship with FIFA, the White House World Cup Task Force, and law enforcement, and we are confident the matches will proceed in Seattle as planned.” Read the full Seattle Times article here Seattle FIFA committee says World Cup will ‘continue as planned,’ despite Trump’s comments
FEMA's FIFA World Cup Grant Program
The FIFA World Cup Grant Program (FWCGP) provides $625 million in funding to host cities, through governor-designated State Administrative Agencies (SAAs). The funding will allow recipients to carry out the extensive security activities required to protect players, staff, attendees, venues, and critical infrastructure across the host cities, strengthening them against potential terrorist attacks. The scale of the event poses significant security challenges. This program supports activities such as training and readiness exercises, staff background checks, cybersecurity defense, as well as increased police and emergency response for FIFA venues, hotels, transportation hubs, and other critical infrastructure to enhance security and preparedness.
Washington's SAA, the Emergency Management Division, is currently working with the Host City Local Organizing Committee, SeattleFWC26, to submit a proposal encompassing statewide needs by the December 5th deadline.
SAAs are required to pass-through 100% of the FWCGP funding to Host City Local Organizing Committee. The Host City Local Organizing Committee will then make subawards to local or tribal governments
Click here for the FIFA World Cup Grant Program Fact Sheet, Release Date: November 10, 2025
Tournament Draw is December 5th!
Washington FWC2026 Subcommittee Updates
|
Washington State’s FIFA World Cup 2026 (WA FWC2026) Safety and Security Planning Committee has become a well-established hub for partner integration. The six focused Subcommittees are: Communications, Emergency Management, Public Health & Medical, Safety & Security, Transportation, and Intelligence, Threat Analysis, and Investigations. Each group brings together subject matter experts from across local, state, tribal, federal, and regional agencies.
Please email emd.worldcup26@mil.wa.gov to connect with a subcommittee or follow-ups on any of the following information.
Safety & Security
- A newly launched safety and security outreach initiative, led by EMD, is an addition means of increasing collaboration across Washington.
- Coordination between statewide fan zone planners continues.
- Seattle PD, King County Sherifs Office, and Washington State Patrol are working together to align equipment and strategies to prepare potential drone threats.
- Participation state fire chiefs' meetings expand cooperation across the state.
Communications
-
Hosted the Washington State Interoperability Summit that concluded with a clearer path forward on the WA-FOG.
- First draft of the Crisis Comms Plan is being reviewed before it is pushed up to the Planning Committee for review.
- First draft of the JIC/JIS plan has been added to the Crisis Comms Plan.
- Identified the 10 most likely/broadest reaching potential threats/hazards that will get pre-scripted messaging. These include severe weather/extreme heat, traffic congestion, and law enforcement activity.
- Wireless carriers to continue assessing the coverage needs or event sites.
Emergency Management
- Continuing to evolve reunification plans for better application during tournament-related incidents.
- Applying lessons learned from post-Typhoon Halong evacuations in Alaska.
Intelligence, Threat Analysis, & Investigations
- More analysis products will be released after the December 5th tournament draw and team locations are finalized.
- Statewide fan zone planners are joining the subcommittee and expanding the intel the sharing community.
Public Health & Medical
- Credentialing – working with DOH HSQA to make sure international team providers from are supported for practicing medicine in WA. These providers may also be useful in the event of a potential disaster (i.e. rapid credentialing).
- Finalizing a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Annex.
- Drafting a tournament-related statewide fatality management concept of operations.
- Exploring how social media monitoring could be utilized for public health surveillance and early identification of outbreaks.
- State epidemiologists and DOH continues work on the disease priority matrix and the anticipated resource needs.
- Including Tribal Nations through coordination with the American Indian Health Commission.
Transportation
- SeattleFWC2026 (the Local Organizing Committee) is developing a webpage to share tips on how to move about the region during the tournament.
-
Increased cruise ship activity during the tournament is expected to bring 4,000–7,000 additional visitors to the Seattle area.
Thank you to all partners for your collaboration!
Join Our Monthly Open Office Hours
The Washington State FWC2026 Planning Committee hosts monthly Open Office Hours via MS Teams providing a space to ask questions, share updates, or just listen in. Let's continue building momentum together as we prepare for one of the biggest events Washington has ever hosted!
Next Session: December 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM. To receive an invite, email: emd.worldcup26@mil.wa.gov
|
Planning Tools & Resources
Tournament Status
Key Takeaways from the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualification Process
As of November 30, 2025, 42 of 48 teams have officially qualified.
- UEFA Play-off, March 2026: 16 European league (UEFA) teams compete for 4 of the remaining UEFA tournament slots.
- FIFA Play-offs, March 2026: 6 teams - Iraq (AFC), Congo DR (CAF), Jamaica (Conacaf), Boliva (CONMEBOL), Suriname (CONMEBOL), and New Caledonia (OFC) - compete for 2 additional tournament slots.
Each confederation has its own path to qualification based on FIFA’s allocated slots. For the most current updates and explanations, visit FIFA’s official tournament page: FIFA World Cup 26™ Qualifiers
|
