FEMA Awards Historic $625 Million to Secure FIFA World Cup Host Cities
April 2, 2026 · 2 min read
Jared Klein
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded $625 million through the new FIFA World Cup Grant Program to strengthen security across all 11 U.S. cities hosting matches this summer, marking the largest single-event security grant in FEMA history.
$875 Million in Total World Cup Security Funding
The $625 million program enables state and local officials to conduct operational exercises, perform staff background checks, strengthen cybersecurity defenses, and increase police and emergency response capacity at FIFA venues, hotels, and transportation hubs. FEMA announced the program in coordination with the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026.
In a separate allocation, FEMA awarded an additional $250 million through the Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) Grant Program to help host states detect, identify, track, and mitigate unlawful drone use near venues and critical infrastructure — bringing total federal World Cup security funding to $875 million.
Per-City Allocations Are Substantial
The 11 host cities — Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle — are each receiving tens of millions of dollars. Atlanta's allocation totals $52.2 million as part of a $73.4 million package for its World Cup Host Committee, plus $7.6 million in drone security funding. Dallas received over $51 million. Eligible spending includes police and fire overtime, emergency equipment upgrades, communication system improvements, and training exercises.
What Security Contractors and Public Safety Agencies Should Do Now
With over five million international visitors expected across 38 days of matches, subgrant and contracting opportunities are significant. Public safety agencies, cybersecurity firms, event security contractors, drone defense technology companies, and emergency management consultants in host metro areas should contact their city's Host Committee Task Force immediately to explore subgrant eligibility and vendor procurement timelines. The funding is already flowing — cities are actively procuring services and equipment now. Grant seekers tracking major federal security funding can find additional analysis on the Granted blog.