A massive public health surveillance operation is underway to protect more than six million fans expected at the 2026 FIFA World Cup across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The tournament spans 48 different jurisdictions, creating a uniquely complex environment for infectious disease threats. Rebecca Katz co-leads the Health Security Operations Center at Georgetown University, a non-governmental team focused entirely on preventing outbreaks during the event.
“Mass gatherings are complicated. There are always infectious disease threats that are associated with them,” Katz said.
The center publishes a daily situation report, flagging risks and identifying which national teams might face higher exposure based on their base camps and match locations. Analysts monitor disease signals across host cities and track online discussions for emerging health concerns.
Right now, measles tops the watchlist. Cases have been confirmed in all three host nations. The team is also closely tracking dengue, hepatitis A, and mpox.
Regarding the global Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, the team assesses the risk to the World Cup as low. The DRC squad arrived in Houston on June 11, and according to a June 12 report, all players and staff have no recent travel history to the DRC within the past 21 days.
Wastewater surveillance serves as the team’s hidden weapon. The technology gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic and now allows specialists to detect a single case of a pathogen before an outbreak erupts.
“If there is that one case of Ebola anywhere, they will find it,” Katz explained. These early-warning tools can alert public health authorities before situations escalate.