Safety concerns for the upcoming World Cup tournament were heightened as the White House scrambled staffers to deal with a “new challenge”. Experts urged caution from those responsible for detailing safety at the sporting event, set to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
A drone industry official granted condition of anonimity to speak of White House preparations says President Donald Trump‘s team is already spiralling as they muddle through a fresh wave of safety concerns.
The unnamed source says the team is, while addressing the legitimate threats which come from hosting an international competition, looking for a scapegoat should anything go wrong at the 2026 World Cup.
Speaking to Politico, the anonymous drone expert said: “If there’s an incident, or when there’s an incident, there’s going to be a lot of finger-pointing. Everyone’s going to be looking for a scapegoat.”
Further complications come from implementing a fresh set of laws to understand and outline the safety measures in place for the sporting tournament. The anonymous drone expert added: “Now you have to actually implement the law, and the timing sucks because they’re trying to implement as they’re trying to execute at the same time — and that is challenging. The rules are still being written.”
FBI Director Kash Patel says efforts are being made to increase the number of trained personnel who can deal with and strategise around the threat of drones affecting matches and general safety.
But the time taken to train individuals in time for the World Cup is limited, and despite the best efforts of Trump’s team, there is a major backlog.
Patel, speaking of a recently opened training centre in Alabama, noted the struggle over security in a recent statement. He said: “The wait list is long. Every single agency across the country wants their police officers there.”
The unnamed drone official claimed that the academy graduates a class “every three weeks”. The 2026 World Cup is set to start on June 11, and will conclude on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the MetLife Stadium.
Earlier this week, FIFA announced that Shakira, Madonna and BTS will co-headline the first ever World Cup final half-time show. The fusion of Latin, pop and Korean music is regarded as a partnership that best captures sounds from every corner of the world.
The performers for the World Cup half-time show were handpicked by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who revealed the line-up via a social media video featuring characters from Sesame Street and the Muppets. He told Elmo: “It’s a chance to show how amazing all different kinds of humans are.”