The Tournament & The Task
Beginning June 11, 2026, millions of fans from around the world will travel to 16 North American cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada to view the world’s biggest sporting event, the World Cup. As host nations, the United States, Mexico, and Canada have a duty to keep fans safe from harm. In our contemporary world, safeguarding spectators increasingly includes defending against threats from unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), more commonly known as drones.
Modern conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, and Nagorno-Karabakh have shown that relatively low-cost, commercially available drones can cause substantial destruction. Modern drones can be flown autonomously, carry deadly payloads over long distances, and can be launched en masse toward a target. The effectiveness of drones has led to their widespread proliferation, both inside and outside of combat zones, and their increased exploitation by malicious actors. For this reason, drones present a key test of national security, especially as the United States hosts 78 of the tournament’s 104 games.
The use of drones has already plagued sporting events. During the 2024 NFL season, 2,300 drones were detected around stadiums in violation of the game-day Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs)—temporary no-fly zones issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). While most violations are caused by drone enthusiasts unaware of the regulations, the threat of a truly malicious actor is real and could cause serious harm. To prepare for such an outcome, the National Guard has simulated drone attacks on host venues, such as Seattle’s Lumen Field.
“Drones are a defining threat for our time. Technology is evolving fast, and our policies and c-UAS strategy here at home must adapt to meet this reality,” — Brigadier General Matt Ross, Director of JIATF-401
Mitigation Approaches & Challenges
Fortunately, there are several approaches to mitigating drones, each with its own merit and ideal use case. These counter-drone, or C-UAS, approaches fall into three main categories: kinetic, electronic countermeasure, and directed energy, each with its own subcategories.
- Kinetic solutions physically prevent a drone from reaching its intended target. This includes using munitions, nets, one-way attack drones, and even specially trained birds of prey.
- Electronic countermeasure solutions target the connection between the drone and its operator. This can include severing the connection entirely or overriding the drone’s instructions to alter its intended path.
- Directed energy solutions use focused energy to disable or destroy hostile drones at range without firing conventional projectiles. Directed energy solutions are primarily divided into two subcategories, high-energy lasers and high-power microwaves.
While all of these solutions have their own merit and use case on the battlefield, only some are appropriate for application in civilian environments. Simply destroying a drone with munitions or other, less-subtle effects could create debris that puts civilians at risk. For this reason, civil authorities must use less destructive methods. An additional challenge is the use of long, fiber-optic cables to navigate drones. This approach renders some non-lethal approaches, like jamming and cyber-takeover, ineffective if there is no signal to disrupt. With these challenges in mind, the best defense is widely believed to be a layered approach, meaning a strategy that employs multiple, overlapping systems and capabilities to detect and defeat drones at different distances and stages of an attack, rather than relying on a single line of defense.
Addressing the Threat
To address the threat of drones, the Pentagon is working with interagency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), to fund and field C-UAS solutions that will keep civilians safe.
On December 30, 2025, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded $250 million in grants for counter-drone capabilities to Washington, D.C., and the 11 states hosting FIFA World Cup 2026 matches. Shortly after, on January 12, 2026, DHS launched a new office—the Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems—dedicated to rapidly procuring and deploying drone and counter-drone technologies. The launch announcement also noted the office would be investing $115 million in counter-drone technologies aimed at securing the 2026 FIFA World Cup venues, as well as the America250 celebration in Washington. A further $100 million to enhance C-UAS capabilities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was committed by the Pentagon’s Joint Inter-Agency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) in April 2026.
Featured C-UAS Systems
While a complete list of C-UAS systems being deployed at the 2026 World Cup has not been publicly disclosed, some information has been made available.
DHS is partnering with Fortem Technology, using the company’s ground-based TrueView R30 radar for drone detection and tracking, SkyDome command and control (C2) software for autonomous threat response, and DroneHunter hexcopter interceptors for mitigation. The DroneHunter uses a net-based capture system to safely remove drones without creating debris. According to Fortem, the combined system can be quickly moved between the 11 U.S. host cities. Fortem has previously deployed its C-UAS systems at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
DHS is also partnering with Robin Radar Systems to deploy the company’s 3D C-UAS radar, IRIS, to detect, track, and classify drones during the World Cup. IRIS was previously integrated into a multi-sensor framework during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Sentrycs, a subsidiary of Ondas Inc., was also selected to support federal, state, and local public safety officials during the World Cup by providing its Cyber-over-RF (CoRF) technology, which is designed to allow operators to take control of unauthorized drones and safely land them in designated areas. Sentrycs is also reportedly deploying its C-UAS systems in Canada and Mexico.
With the boost in funding, the Pentagon is equipping the National Guard with undisclosed mobile C-UAS solutions designed for sensing and non-kinetic mitigation as part of a layered defense. Following the World Cup, these systems will reportedly be incorporated into installation and critical infrastructure defense plans.
Conclusion
As millions of spectators gather in North America this June, the 2026 World Cup will serve as a massive test of national security, and one that will require a diverse, layered set of systems that can detect, track, and safely mitigate drone threats. Ultimately, the host cities’ ability to protect stadiums, fan zones, players, and critical infrastructure from threats will prove consequential far beyond the tournament’s final whistle.
