With the semifinals between France and Spain and Argentina and England, and the final scheduled for the weekend, the United States has strengthened the security deployed at tournament venues. The operation, which involves federal, state and local forces, was discussed on Infobae al Mediodía with specialist Andrei Serbin Pont, who described how an architecture designed to minimize risks functions both inside and outside the stadiums.
Using the operation implemented in Kansas during recent matches as an example, Serbin Pont said the deployment reflects the approach used at all venues. “The security operation will have at least 1,600 officers assigned to the area,” he explained, and added that the goal is not only to guard stadiums but also to protect hotels, delegations, fan fests and other public gathering points.
A security architecture that extends well beyond the stadiums
According to the specialist, the operation begins long before entry to the stadium. “Hotels have perimeter zones to protect them from any drone activity in the area. A drone is not necessarily a lethal threat, but it is a matter of privacy, protection and operational security,” he noted.
The plan also includes guarded convoys for team transfers and screens installed to limit visibility of areas where squads are located. “The United States is deploying perimeters around hotels and protecting them with different mechanisms, including screens that try to obscure the view of the areas where the teams stay,” he explained.
Serbin Pont also recalled that one of the main investments for the World Cup was the addition of anti-drone systems and stressed that the operation goes well beyond the stadium perimeter. “This applies not only around hotels or the stadium. It also applies to fan fests, which have drone-designated perimeters and their own response units with rapid reaction forces,” he said.
More than 400 agencies coordinated and a response prepared for any scenario
The analyst emphasized that the scale of the operation lies in coordination between agencies with very different roles. “There are 400 agencies in total coordinating. That is why we are talking about an investment of approximately one billion dollars,” he said.
The plan combines local and state police with federal agencies such as the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and specialized units of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He explained that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) tactical teams were included to expand response capacity for complex incidents.
“They need to have the greatest number of means and personnel available in case of an emergency,” he said. Among the scenarios planned for is an active shooter, which he noted “is probably one of the situations that has caused the most concern during this World Cup.” To address that possibility, he added, “the idea is to have multiple rapid response teams that can react immediately.”
Snipers, deterrence and continuous surveillance
The operation also includes snipers positioned strategically in stadiums, a common practice at major sporting events in the United States.
“Sniper nests are already standard. Most stadiums have designated spaces so they can monitor what happens in the stands and on the field,” Serbin Pont explained. He detailed that these teams operate in pairs made up of a shooter and an observer, while others remain concealed to expand surveillance capability.
He also offered a remark that summarizes the operation’s logic: “The sniper you find is usually the one they want you to think you found.” For the specialist, making part of the deployment visible also serves a preventive function. “In situations like this, presence helps with deterrence,” he said, explaining why most personnel work fully identified.
The challenge of managing mixed crowds and preventing incidents
Beyond extraordinary threats, Serbin Pont warned that one of the main challenges is the coexistence of fans from different teams in the same stadium. Unlike in some other countries, the United States does not enforce a strict physical separation between rival supporters.
“You can have several hot spots and they are hard to control precisely because they are multiple. You don’t need a generalized group of violent people: it is enough for a few individuals to create tense situations,” he explained.
He believes the increase in personnel also responds to that reality. “The rise in agents assigned to event security is intended to ensure there are enough human resources to handle a tense situation or something larger,” he added.
During the program, journalist Flavia Pittella also described the level of control observed in the stands. She said security staff monitored crowd behavior in each section and that any flags were inspected before being allowed in. In that context, Serbin Pont confirmed that for the Argentina vs England match the ban on flags referencing the Falkland Islands was reinforced, and he recalled that the measure had been confirmed by the Minister of Security.
A system designed to minimize the margin of error
Although he acknowledged that top alerts related to potential terrorist attacks have decreased as the tournament has progressed, Serbin Pont said U.S. authorities are maintaining the same level of readiness because the goal is to minimize any possibility of an incident.
“I don’t think we are in a state of alert. But when you host an event like this you want to be sure from every angle that there is no margin of error,” he said. For that reason, he explained, during decisive matches it is to be expected that there will be a greater presence of police, private security personnel and tactical units near stadiums and fan areas.
The specialist also recalled that preventive measures began even before the competition started. “It was already known before the World Cup began that a list of 33,000 people would not be allowed into any of the stadiums,” he said. For Serbin Pont, that prior planning, combined with coordination among hundreds of agencies and intensive use of technology, explains why the United States has put in place one of the most ambitious protection operations ever deployed for a World Cup.
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