The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to take place in the USA, Mexico and Canada this summer, and for the first time in history, 48 nations will compete.
The expansion of football's greatest tournament should mean that more fans than ever before will watch the World Cup live; however, security fears in the USA and Mexico mean that there are thousands of supporters who are hesitant to commit to the tournament.
Our guide below is designed to provide fans who are travelling to the USA, Canada and/or Mexico this summer with all the key information on how they can stay safe at all times in the three host countries.
Mexico
Understandably, there are currently major concerns around fan safety at World Cup matches in Mexico. At the end of February, one of the country's most powerful drug cartels (CNJG), effectively kick-started a war with Mexican law enforcement after the death of the group's leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, at the hands of the police.
The death of Cervantes sparked mass violence in Jalisco, resulting in a code red security message being activated. The Mexican military have since gotten involved, but the violence is spreading around the country so fast that cartel members are now patrolling the streets with firearms and warning citizens to stay indoors.
Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, is set to host four matches at the World Cup, but the scenes in the state have sparked fear in individuals who have tickets for these matches. Mexico's president, Claudio Sheibaum, has already tried to alleviate these fears by making a public statement assuring football fans that there's ‘no risk' for them at the World Cup.
If the situation doesn't improve in the coming months, then attending matches in Guadalajara is not worth the risk. As such, our advice here is to stay away until the Mexican authorities have truly re-established control in the country.
JUST IN: 🇲🇽 Mexcio's CJNG cartel says they will target anyone found on the streets and tells all residents of Guadalajara to stay home. pic.twitter.com/JZ5c6MLAzB
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) February 22, 2026
USA
The biggest safety concern for overseas football fans in the USA is ICE, the country's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
ICE agents are currently being tasked with trying to enforce mass deportations of undocumented immigrants in the USA, but the way they have gone about this task has been alarming, to say the least.
Things recently came to a head in Minneapolis when ICE agents murdered Alex Pretti and Renee for no good reason. Considering that both of these individuals were US citizens, it is understandable why foreign fans are concerned about their safety in the USA.
To avoid confrontation with ICE agents, we recommend that all overseas supporters make sure they have their passports and visas (if one is required) on them at all times. These agents have the power to stop anyone, but provided you can prove you are in the USA legally, you SHOULD be okay.
If you are stopped by ICE agents or any other federal agent in the USA, you should cooperate as best you can. You don't want to get on the wrong side of these people.
Canada
On the face of it, Canada is the safest of the three host nations to visit this summer. While there is still time for something to happen there, fans should be reassured that the firearms laws in Canada are far stricter than they are in the USA, and the presence of ICE is significantly smaller.
The country's law enforcement also isn't embroiled in nationwide conflict with major drug cartels, either, so if you have tickets for a match in Canada, just go and have a good time.
FGG says: A disaster for FIFA
After the controversy of Qatar 2022, FIFA would have been banking on a hassle-free tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico. It isn't turning out that way, but they are hardly blameless in the situation either.
They have empowered the Trump administration by awarding the US President with a FIFA Peace Prize in December, and the ticket prices they set last year instantly turned millions of fans away.