Watch: Is the US ready to host the 2026 World Cup?

The BBC’s Nada Tawfik reports on readiness concerns in the New York-New Jersey region, where eight matches will take place.

Some World Cup players and team staff are being questioned or outright barred from entering the United States, angering their fans and heightening concerns about how immigration enforcement will be carried out during one of the world’s most international sporting events.

The upcoming World Cup will feature 48 teams and 104 matches across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, presenting an unprecedented security challenge amid complex threat environments.

Stadium workers near Los Angeles have voted to authorize a strike as the venue prepares to host the U.S. men’s soccer team’s opening World Cup match, citing concerns over pay and security amid ramped-up immigration enforcement.

A union representing 2,000 workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles voted to authorize a possible labor stoppage just a week before the U.S. team’s opening match, demanding premium wages and protection from potential immigration enforcement during the World Cup.

Security planners are coordinating with state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies to monitor unprecedented security threats as millions of soccer fans are expected to gather in 11 U.S. cities for the World Cup.