US government shutdown has slowed World Cup security planning, homeland security official says
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Director of the Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness, Christopher Tomney, testifying at the US Capitol on April 15, 2026, in Washington, DC. The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Homeland Security subcommittees held a hearing focused on measures to prepare for the World Cup in 2026.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – The US government has released all funds allocated for security at the 2026 World Cup, but the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has affected planning and coordination, a department official told a Senate hearing on April 15.
“A lot of the planning efforts under way for the World Cup have been slowed down, have been delayed due to the lapse in appropriations, individuals being furloughed,” Christopher Tomney, director of the DHS Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness, told the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Intelligence briefings reviewed by Reuters in March warned of the potential for extremists and criminals to target the World Cup, with officials working on preparations for the football showpiece sounding the alarm on a delay in allocation of approved security funds.
Tomney said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has now distributed the US$625 million (S$794.8 million) earmarked for security. The 48-team tournament, one of the world’s biggest sporting events, will be held from June 11 to July 19 across the US, Canada and Mexico.
“All the funding has been released now. FEMA GO is up and operational,” he said, referring to the disaster agency’s grants management system.
The DHS shutdown has crossed the two-month mark, with lawmakers in Congress unable to agree on legislation to fund the agency in the wake of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. He signed an order earlier in April to pay every DHS employee.
When asked how specifically the shutdown has hampered the agency’s ability to organise the event, Tomney pointed to the departure of hundreds of transportation security officers from the Transportation Security Administration.
“We just can’t replace that expertise overnight. It has hindered our coordination with state and locals,” he said.
Meanwhile, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on April 15 that Iran will “for sure” participate in the World Cup despite the Middle East war.
The football world governing body’s chief said he was recently in Antalya, Turkey, to visit the Iranian team at their training camp and said the team want to take part in the World Cup.
“Iran is coming for sure. We hope that by then the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help,” he said on CNBC.
“But Iran has to come – they represent their people, they have qualified, the players want to play,” he said of the team’s upcoming matches scheduled in the US in June.
Iran’s participation in the global tournament had been thrown into doubt by the war with the US and Israel that broke out on Feb 28.
“Sports should be outside of politics,” Infantino said.
“If there’s nobody else that believes in building bridges and keeping them intact and together, we are doing the job.”
Iran, one of the first teams to qualify for the World Cup – which is projected to generate more than US$11 billion in revenue – are scheduled to play all three of their Group G matches in the US.
Iran are due to face New Zealand on June 15 then meet Belgium on June 21, with both matches in Los Angeles. On June 26, Iran are scheduled to play Egypt in Seattle. Should Iran advance, the rest of their games would also be held in the US.
Iran had requested FIFA to move their games to Mexico, but were denied.
No national team have withdrawn from a World Cup since 1950, the first tournament held after World War II. REUTERS, AFP
