Agency — 2026-05-18

FBI Counter-Drone Force for World Cup 2026 Limited to 60 Officers Across 11 Host Cities

BLUFDespite a thin 60-officer counter-drone force, a disruptive drone incursion delaying a US World Cup match remains unlikely through the tournament's July 19 close, though North Texas's unresolved capability gap is the architecture's likeliest failure point.

The FBI will field approximately 60 certified state and local law enforcement officers, not FBI agents, across 11 World Cup 2026 host cities, trained through the FBI's National Counter-UAS Training Center (NCUTC) in Huntsville, Alabama. As of the April 15 Senate Appropriations hearing, 45 had been certified with a second class projected to bring the total to 61 before the tournament opens. The Safer Skies Act, signed December 18, 2025 as part of the FY26 NDAA, extended drone mitigation powers to state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies for the first time, providing the legal basis for the deputized counter-drone force. FEMA awarded an initial $250 million of a $500 million counter-drone appropriation to the 11 host states on December 30, 2025, funding detection and mitigation equipment purchases ahead of the event.

Analysis
The most exposed seam is North Texas, where Arlington has one certified operator and Dallas's federal agreement was pending as of mid-May, covering nine AT&T Stadium matches. Per corroborating Bloomberg and Senate Appropriations testimony at moderate confidence, an unauthorized drone disrupting at least one US match remains unlikely through July 19. Countermeasures now authorized for state and local officers are calibrated to neutralize casual incursions before play-suspension thresholds. Federal agents and contracted detection vendors hold independent mitigation authority that the 60-officer figure understates. Whether North Texas closes its gaps before June 11 determines if federal fallbacks activate; a YES resolution redirects the remaining $250 million toward standing infrastructure, and a NO outcome validates deputization as an America 250 template.

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FBI Counter-Drone Force For World Cup 2026 Will Run Just 60 Officers Across 11 Host Cities - Drone XL