The 2026 World Cup Will Be Monitored by Robot Dogs and Drones Hunting Other Drones: The $875 Million Plan
"78 Super Bowls in 39 Days". This is how Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House task force for the 2026 World Cup, described the event and, at the same time, gave an idea of its scale. With 48 teams and 104 matches held across 16 host cities in the USA, Mexico, and Canada over the course of 39 days, it requires establishing a security operation of equal proportions: $875 million in federal funds, robotic dogs, anti-drone drones, and joint operational centers with the FBI.
Robot Dogs and Ground Surveillance
Among the most visible technologies are Boston Dynamics' Spot robots, deployed for perimeter control and inspection of suspicious objects. According to a statement from Hyundai Motor, the Spot robots will be operational at the International Broadcast Center in Dallas and the New York-New Jersey stadium, equipped with Enterprise Asset Management kits for real-time industrial inspection. Hyundai, an official mobility partner of FIFA for 27 years and an official robotics partner since 2023, also contributes to the tournament with a fleet of 994 passenger vehicles and 506 buses. Boston Dynamics clarified that the Spot units at the tournament do not feature facial recognition. The statement seems to preempt concerns about a potential use of the platform for mass biometric surveillance.
In Mexico, three tournament locations, including the BBVA stadium in Monterrey, will host four K9-X robots: semi-autonomous units with video surveillance and voice commands. Dallas has separately allocated $120 million for a technological upgrade of local law enforcement, including body cameras equipped with real-time translation capabilities to communicate with international visitors.
The Drone Threat and the Fortem System
The most pressing threat, however, does not come from the ground: unauthorized drones are the primary operational concern, a risk deemed heightened since the planning began, partly due to the escalation of conflicts involving the USA, Israel, and Iran. The DHS has responded with a $250 million investment in anti-drone technologies (C-UAS), distributed to 9 states plus the National Capital Region: funds allocated on December 30, 2025, just 25 days after the grant deadline, in the fastest disaster-unrelated grant program completion in the agency's history.
The operational contract has gone to Fortem Technologies, which will be tasked with protecting the 11 USA venues with the DroneHunter system: hexacopters equipped with nets for the physical interception of intruding drones, TrueView R30 radar, and SkyDome management software. Fortem had already operated in a similar context during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, on a smaller scale.
FEMA has distributed $625 million to the 11 American host cities for staff training, background checks, cybersecurity, and emergency management. The FBI will activate joint operational centers in each host city for real-time video validation and countering misinformation through AI and digitally manipulated content. The Secret Service, responsible for protecting the world leaders expected at the tournament, is operating with an estimated shortfall of around 860 agents, a gap reported by Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin.