By Jana Winter ABOARD FBI JET, June 11 (Reuters) - With 48 teams, 36 base camps and 11 stadiums, the World Cup, which kicks off on Thursday, is one of the biggest security challenges the FBI has ever faced.

Security expert Peter Evans said World Cup risks differ from Super Bowl due to international fans, political tensions, and potential presidential attendance at games.

Federal, state, and Seattle officials announced Monday that they are launching what security experts describe as an unprecedented safety effort for FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in the city.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is here, and it will be attended by tens of thousands of fans over the next month or so in Houston. As a result, security at Houston Stadium will be on high to ensure all fans are safe and abide by all security protocols.

Stadium entry points and concourses are equipped with advanced facial recognition software and AI-powered monitoring systems. These tools scan faces in real-time, matching them against security databases.

Officials in all the host cities began planning for the event years in advance, running through not just match-day security concerns, but transportation and staffing for fan events.

Federal agents are there for security, not immigration enforcement, officials say. But trust is fragile after the administration’s recent crackdowns.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico issued a travel advisory for American citizens who plan to attend soccer matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup,

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — With the World Cup about to begin, heavily armed police and National Guard officers are patrolling the streets of Guadalajara as authorities try to reassure visitors and residents that security won’t be an issue in a city that was rocked by cartel violence earlier this year.

World Cup organizer FIFA pushes billions of costs onto its host cities, leading to frustration and a refusal to make the same mistakes again

The 2026 World Cup will place extraordinary demands on security across multiple United States host cities. Organizers and officials have described the effort as unlike any previous domestic event. Andrew Giuliani captured the scale when he observed that there has never been a summer like this in American history from a security angle.