Planning Highlights
Initial planning checks, at all levels, are occurring throughout May. Please consider taking these actions to support these statewide checks and sending responses to emd.worldcup26@mil.wa.gov.
- If your agency/organization is embedding an agency representative in any of the statewide operation centers, please send that person's name, role, and contact information to emd.worldcup26@mil.wa.gov. These centers include the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), the Federal Interagency Coordination Center (FICC), Seattle Unified Command Group (UCG), Joint Information Center (JIC), Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Stadium Command Post (CP), city/county/Tribe EOC, etc.).
- Confirm communications plans (ICS 205A, 205, alert rosters, etc.) and send to emd.worldcup26@mil.wa.gov.
Washington FWC2026 Safety & Security Subcommittees' 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
-
'Last mile' traffic management and road closure planning around Lumen Field are being finalized.
- Community outreach continues to share how the State has prepared for a safe and secure event.
- MOUs and ILAs between mutual aid partners are being finalized.
- Credentialing for tournament site access is underway.
- Please let the planning committee know of any inquiries from international teams arranging hotels or base camps that are not FIFA endorsed.
- Strong caution advised as jurisdictions are realizing high costs that impact contracting and resourcing.
- Emphasis on protecting planning assumptions and resource availability.
- The U.S. Office of Foreign Missions offers international relations training for law enforcement and other public safety personnel. Email emd.worldcup26@mil.wa.gov for more information.
Communications
- Please share ICS FORM 205 - Communications Plan with the WA State Interoperability Coordinator, George.Long@mil.wa.gov.
-
WA 211 and Crisis Connections partnerships are in final revisions, permitting World Cup related information sharing on these platforms from May through August 2026.
- Wireless Carriers WG + 911 WG + NASNA – working together on 911 outreach to help educate international visitors on U.S. plans, data, and cellular network usage.
- Public Safety Messaging Outreach workgroup is focusing on amplifying the “see something, say something,” “no drone zone,” and “how to use 911” campaigns.
- JIC/JIS Playbook is being finalized
- Safety and security pre-scripted messages will be translated into multiple languages in May. Click here to request access to view draft messages.
- The PIO workgroup and WATech are developing a World Cup banner and webpage on wa.gov that will direct both visitors and Washington locals to the safety and security resources, which inlcudes potential disruptions to daily routines during the tournament.
Emergency Management
- The State Emergency Operations Center's (SEOC) event action plan (EAP) will be available shortly. Publication will be announced through the SEOC State Agency Liaisons (SAL) and WA EMD GovDelivery.
- SEOC Staff, contact your section chief by May 28th to confirm scheduling and Camp Murray access.
- The Federal Concept of Operations not expected until 45–60 days pre-tournament
- The State CONOPS is largely complete; pending FIFA/federal inputs.
- Continued emphasis on Unified Command planning and operations.
Intelligence, Threat Analysis, & Investigations
- Click here for FIFA's intel share platform access request.
- Click here to share fan activities, gatherings, and events across the Pacific Northwest. This list is maintained by the WA State Fusion Center and used to maximize situation awareness.
- SEAR ratings for fan zones continue to be reviewed by DHS. Special Event Assessment Ratings (SEAR) are used by the Fusion Center has produced Special Event Threat Assessments (SETA) for those fan zone events.
- Team profiles are now available. Access here: Washington State Planning: FIFA World Cup 2026 - Home
- Statewide fan zone planners are joining the subcommittee and expanding the intel the sharing community.
Transportation
- The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will agency representatives in the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), FEMA Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC), and Seattle EOC.
- Partnering to protect regional transportation systems remains the top priority.
- Amtrak's World Cup related services are advertised on https://www.amtrak.com/fifa.
- National teams are conducting regional transportation walkthroughs, which include airport transit plans.
- Continued coordination with Canadian transit partners.
Public Health & Medical
- Reviewing CDC's interim considerations for advanced preparedness for potential public health threats connected to FIFA World Cup 2026. These considerations outline areas to support health officials in all jurisdictions to prevent, prepare for, detect, and respond to potential public health incidents.
- An MCI virtual tabletop exercise is planned for Wednesday, May 6th
- Continuing to facilitate an understanding of public health authorities, integration of the local health officers, and public health protective measures (for example, limiting outdoor activities due to wildfire smoke air quality).
- Refining public communications & pre-scripted messaging.
-
Public Health Surveillance Event Action Plan (SEAP) in development. This includes options for a centralized public health information website, risk assessment, resource allocation, and Poison Center integration.
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! Open Office Hours are the FIRST WEDNESDAY of the month from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
Next Sessions: May 6, 2026 ¦ Jun 3, 2026
To receive an invite, email: emd.worldcup26@mil.wa.gov
|
Planning Tools & Resources
Training Opportunities
Washington State Emergency Management Division and our partners are coordinating many training opportunities to address the unique challenges of FIFA World Cup 2026.
FWC2026 Related Highlights from Washington Emergency Management Division Training Calendar
Other Training Opportunities
|
Title
|
Date(s)
|
Location and Registration
|
|
Human Trafficking Seminar
|
5/4/ 2026
5/5/2026 (Law Enforcement Only)
|
Jackson Federal Building
Seattle, WA
Click here to register: Human Trafficking Prevention-Strategy Workshop
For more info email HSISeattleHEAT@hsi.dhs.gov
|
|
DHS: Training on Threat Evaluation and Reporting Overview (TERO) For Non-Law Enforcement Personnel
|
5/15/2026
|
Virtual
To register - email Caitlin.Honari@hq.dhs.gov
|
|
DHS: Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Program Training for ONLY Law Enforcement
|
5/13/2026
|
Virtual or In Person: Snohomish County Sherrif’s Office
To register - email Caitlin.Honari@hq.dhs.gov
|
Tournament Summary
FIFA World Cup 2026TM is 104 total matches hosted at 16 North American Cities.
| Seattle Hosts - |
| Group Stage Matches: 4 |
| Round of 32: 1 |
| Round of 16: 1
|
| Quarter/Semi-/ Final: 0
|
Group Stage: All 48 teams play 3 matches each. Points are awarded for win-loss-draw and total goals scored.
Round of 32 and Round of 16: These are the "knockout" stages, when teams play one match. Winners advance to the finals while losers are eliminated from the tournament.
Quater/ Semi-/Final rounds continue to halve the number of winning teams until the single champion is awarded.
Additional Tournament and Team Information
FIFA World Cup 2026 match schedule
A breakdown of the FIFA World Cup 2026™️teams slated for Seattle
2026 FIFA World Cup: Team-by-Team Guides For Each Qualified Squad
In the News
April 13, 2026
Coordinated effort aims for safe, seamless 2026 FIFA World Cup amid global crowds
by Sebastian Robertson, King5
With just weeks to go before the 2026 FIFA World Cup arrives in Seattle, city leaders say planning efforts years in the making are shifting into execution mode. Seattle is set to host six matches during the tournament, drawing fans from around the world. Officials say tickets have already been purchased by people in more than 180 countries and territories, signaling a global influx that could bring some of the largest crowds the city has ever seen.
To manage that scale, operations will be coordinated out of the city’s Emergency Operations Center, where dozens of agencies will work side by side throughout the tournament. The unified command structure brings together police, fire, transportation, utilities and federal partners, all monitoring conditions in real time and responding to issues as they arise.
“This is the facility we will use to help manage and coordinate activities over the more than six weeks the tournament will take place here in Seattle,” said Ken Nafsy, operations manager for the Seattle Office of Emergency Management. “We will be keeping an eye on a number of different things to make sure events run smoothly and that we are able to respond to any type of situation that develops during the tournament itself.”
Inside the operations center, agencies will track a range of conditions beyond traditional public safety concerns, including weather-related risks that could affect large outdoor gatherings.
Read the full article here: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/coordinated-effort-aims-safe-seamless-2026-fifa-world-cup-global-crowds/
|
March 30, 2026
FIFA and World Cup hosts must prevent tournament becoming a threat to fans and communities
by Amnesty International
Millions of football fans attending the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA risk coming face to face with troubling attacks on human rights, not least those stemming from abusive and deadly US immigration policies, Amnesty International said today. The human rights organization warned that severe restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful protest threaten the “safe, welcoming and inclusive” tournament promised by FIFA.
Read the full article here: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/03/global-fifa-and-world-cup-hosts-must-prevent-tournament-becoming-a-threat-to-fans-and-communities/
|
April 22, 2026
Five major issues affecting FIFA World Cup with 50 days to go
By Anushe Engineer,
With 50 days to go until the World Cup kicks off, FIFA and the tournament’s host nations face criticism over wide-ranging social, political and logistical issues surrounding the global event.
Canada and Mexico will cohost the tournament with the United States, which, alongside Israel, launched a war on World Cup participant nation Iran on February 28. While the war is currently under a fragile temporary ceasefire, Iran’s participation in the tournament remains uncertain.
Read the full article here: https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/4/22/five-major-issues-affecting-the-fifa-world-cup-with-50-days-to-go
|
April 1, 2026
Spokane will send deputies to Seattle for 2026 World Cup with $726K federal grant
By Tim Clouser, The Center Square
Spokane is sending deputies to Seattle for the FIFA World Cup games this June.
The international soccer tournament will take place across the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. Seattle is hosting six matches and could see law enforcement agencies from across Washington state travel there to provide security as an estimated 750,000 visitors descend on the city.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is set to receive about $726,000 of the nearly $1 billion in federal funding allocated nationwide to support public safety and transit. Washington state has received $41.5 million: $33.1 million for security, of which $2.48 million is state funding, and $8.48 million for transit.
Read the full article here: https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_f24ce1c1-f5e9-4d33-a8d4-6fa6ebe4c317.html
|
April 15, 2026
The U.S. Is Co-Hosting the FIFA World Cup. But Much of the World Can’t Attend.
By Mariel Ferragamo, Foreign Affairs
The 2026 men’s World Cup officially kicks off in June, with players from a record forty-eight national teams facing off in the first tournament hosted by three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The World Cup is held every four years in rotating locations and is organized by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), soccer’s global governing body.
FIFA’s mantra is famously that “football unites the world.” Off the field, however, standoffs are brewing. Under the second Donald Trump administration, U.S. relations with its two fellow host countries have shifted dramatically since co-hosting was first planned in 2017. The administration’s hard-line immigration and border policies could affect fans and players from competing countries who want to travel to the United States. Amnesty International published a report on March 30 warning that millions of fans may be at risk for “troubling attacks on human rights” from U.S. immigration policies, restrictions on freedom of expression, and discrimination—despite FIFA’s assurances of a “safe, welcoming, and inclusive” tournament.
Read the full press release here: https://www.cfr.org/articles/the-u-s-is-co-hosting-the-world-cup-but-much-of-the-world-cant-attend
|
April 7, 2026
World Cup preparation underway as WA deals with officer shortage
By Taylor Winkel, Fox 13 Seattle
The Pacific Northwest is gearing up to welcome more than 750,000 soccer fans as the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues. But behind the excitement of six world-class matches at Lumen field is a troubling reality for law enforcement across the state.
"We are super, super excited about the World Cup coming," Chief of Police for the city of Kent, Rafael Paddila said. "But it does unfortunately highlight an ongoing situation in Washington state regarding staffing for law enforcement."
Padilla also serves as President for the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC). WASPC data shows that for the 15th consecutive year, Washington ranks 51st in the nation for officers per capita – lagging behind all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
While Washington's population has grown by more than a million people in the past 15 years, police staffing has failed to keep pace. The state currently averages just 1.37 officers per 1,000 residents, well below the national average of roughly 2.4.
Read the full article here: https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/police-shortage-fifa-world-cup
|
Explore. Play. Win. SEA&WIN is the official mobile game of the Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™, designed to bring the excitement of the world’s largest sporting event to the fans. Whether you are a local soccer fanatic or a visitor exploring Washington State.
You can explore featured locations in Seattle and Washington State. Earn points by visiting stops, completing tours, taking quizzes, and completing challenges to unlock prizes while discovering the best of our region’s art, culture, and small businesses.
Learn more here: https://www.seattlefwc26.org/seaandwin
|
|
