FCC Supporting America’s Success as FIFA World Cup Host
As Matches Start, the FCC Has Been Focused on Secure, Reliable, and Resilient Communications Systems; Safeguarding Against Interference; Working with Partners
   
WASHINGTON, June 11, 2026—FCC Chairman Brendan Carr today welcomed the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches across North America.  The FCC’s public safety, enforcement, and radio engineering experts have been working with federal, state, and local partners to support a successful World Cup in cities across the country.  

Chairman Brendan Carr issued the following statement:

“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the biggest and best one yet.  In collaboration with the White House Task Force for the FIFA World Cup, the FCC’s public safety, enforcement, and engineering experts have been working with federal, state, and local stakeholders to support a successful set of games.  The FCC team has been working to support robust, resilient, and secure communications networks across the host cities, including supporting the efforts of the private sector communications providers.

“I want to thank Task Force Executive Director, Andrew Giuliani, for his great leadership, as well as our federal and state partners, in addition to the FCC’s talented staff for their continued work on this effort.  This event will be an incredible showcase of America’s strength and spirit as we celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday.”

How the FCC Has Been Actively Supporting a Successful FIFA World Cup 2026

Major international sporting events bring with them pressures on our communications systems with so many people connected to so many devices, all trying to receive and to transmit information on wireless and broadcast networks.  Here are just some of the issues that the FCC’s talented staff have been working on to ensure a safe and successful World Cup. 

· Public Safety – The FCC has been preparing for rapid interference detection and response during matches and related events, helping ensure first responders and emergency communications systems operate without disruption.  The FCC has been working to protect critical wireless operations from interference, supporting not only the public safety of fans, but also stadium operations and broadcasting.  In addition, the FCC has been collaborating with federal partners, public safety agencies, wireless providers, broadcasters, and FIFA technology teams to support communications readiness and event security.

· National Security – The FCC has been working with federal, state, and local partners to support lawful counter-drone operations consistent with the SAFER SKIES Act and other authorities.  To ensure global media coverage can be conducted safely, the FCC has also issued ten Special Temporary Authorizations to date for wireless devices and broadcast operations.

· Wireless Interference – To prepare for and during the games, the FCC has been working to prevent wireless interference problems – and address them when they happen; support communications network capacity to meet the massive, localized demand; and plan for unique communications needs ranging from stadium operations to international media outlets needing temporary broadcasting authorizations.  Working closely with industry partners to support high-capacity wireless and 5G connectivity in and around host venues, the FCC continues to work to enable reliable operations for broadcasters, wireless carriers, and media organizations.

· Radio Spectrum Requirements – Priority number one for the FCC is to ensure the radio spectrum requirements essential to the World Cup—including broadcast operations, public safety communications, event security, and national security preparations—are fully supported.  In preparation, the FCC has deployed a networked constellation of advanced spectrum sensors across all U.S. venues to conduct remote spectrum monitoring and help identify harmful interference.  

· Host City Coordination – Partnering with host cities has been a critical piece of preparing for the World Cup, and the FCC has worked closely with cities across the country to conduct advance planning, testing, and coordination activities to prepare for the unprecedented communications demands associated with the tournament.  This effort also lays the groundwork for ensuring a successful 2028 Olympics and other future mega-events, by strengthening national communications coordination frameworks and helping improve readiness.

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