FEMA
US federal disaster and emergency agency; about $875m in 2026 World Cup security grants.
FEMA put $875m into 2026 World Cup security, though its $625m host-city tranche landed on 20 March, seven weeks late. On 28 September a federal judge also voided the voting conditions it had attached to counterterrorism grants.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026 · Appears in 3 active topics
Why didn't FEMA's own $1.47bn World Cup security figure hold up to scrutiny?
Timeline for FEMA
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2026 FIFA World CupMentioned in: World Cup as a counter-drone audition
Drones: Industry & Defencedeployed $1.47bn in grants across 11 host cities and 9 states, with $221m+ for counter-drone systems
2026 FIFA World Cup: FEMA deploys $1.47bn on World CupBackground
FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was created by executive order in 1979 and became part of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003. Its core job is civilian disaster response, but it also runs the security grant programmes through which Washington funds state and city policing for terrorism threats and large events.
Those grants make FEMA a channel for federal policy. In 2026 the agency attached election conditions to counterterrorism grants: states stood to lose a fifth of their award unless they ran voters through a federal citizenship-check database, hand-audited 5% of paper ballots and moved away from voting machines. Judge Amir Ali struck the conditions down on 28 September, three days after the Supreme Court revived that database. States may use the system, but grant money cannot depend on it.
The same grant machinery paid for the 2026 World Cup, through a host-city programme and a counter-drone programme for the host states.
FEMA funded the tournament's security late
FEMA awarded $625m in security grants to the 11 US World Cup host cities on 20 March, nearly seven weeks after the 30 January deadline. The money had frozen during a partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown over immigration spending, leaving cities fewer than 12 weeks before the 11 June opener to recruit and train staff.
A separate $250m counter-drone programme followed, with funds distributed to the host states from 14 May. Together the two programmes put the agency's World Cup security outlay at $875m, a federal bill that Washington carried far more heavily than Ottawa did for Canada's host cities.
FEMA funded the tournament's security late
How much is FEMA spending on 2026 World Cup security?
Reference
What is FEMA?
What is FEMA's role in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
What is the difference between FEMA and DHS?
How is the US preparing counter-drone security for the World Cup?
Why were FEMA World Cup security grants delayed?
How much World Cup security funding did Massachusetts receive?
How much did FEMA give to World Cup host cities?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 1 October 2026. Editorial standards.