The United States is ramping up its defenses in the skies ahead of two of the biggest events it will host this decade, committing $115 million to counter-drone measures to protect the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
The Department of Homeland Security said the investment reflects a new urgency around aerial threats as drones become cheaper, smarter and more lethal.
With millions of visitors expected and billions watching worldwide, the World Cup in particular will be a defining security test for President Donald Trump’s pledge to keep major international events safe on U.S. soil.
“We are entering a new era to defend our air superiority to protect our borders and the interior of the United States,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said, underscoring the administration’s focus on emerging, asymmetric threats.
The expanded 2026 World Cup will be the largest in the tournament’s history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across North America.
The United States will host the majority of games in 11 cities, from Los Angeles and Dallas to New York/New Jersey, where the final will be played at MetLife Stadium.
Matches will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026, a monthlong stretch expected to draw more than a million international travelers to the U.S. alone.
That scale brings heightened risk.
Security officials increasingly view drones as a prime concern for mass gatherings, capable of surveillance, disruption or far worse.
The war in Ukraine has shown how low-cost unmanned systems can deliver precision attacks, while recent drone incidents have rattled airports and sensitive airspace in both Europe and the United States.
Alongside the World Cup, the U.S. will also mark the semiquincentennial of its independence in 2026.
America250 celebrations are planned nationwide, with major events in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and other historic sites around July 4.
Large outdoor crowds, fireworks displays and open urban spaces make those festivities similarly vulnerable to unauthorized drone activity.
To address the threat, DHS has created a new Program Executive Office dedicated to advancing drone and counter-drone technology while finalizing the $115 million investment in counter-unmanned aircraft systems, or C-UAS.
The department has not disclosed which tools will be deployed at World Cup venues or anniversary events, but the industry is rapidly developing options that include radar and radio-frequency detection, optical sensors, tracking software, electronic jamming, lasers, high-powered microwaves and other directed-energy systems.
Federal authorities face legal limits on how and when kinetic countermeasures can be used, adding complexity to the security planning.
Even so, the push is accelerating.
In December, FEMA, also under DHS, awarded $250 million in grants to states hosting World Cup matches and the National Capital Region, allowing local agencies to purchase detection and mitigation equipment ahead of 2026.
The effort has drawn bipartisan backing.
Last summer, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, urged the Trump administration to strengthen federal support for counter-drone defenses after a series of unexplained drone sightings raised alarms across New York and New Jersey, home to several key World Cup sites.
Other host states voiced similar concerns, helping drive the rapid release of FEMA funds.
Beyond the tournaments and celebrations, the investments signal a broader shift in how the U.S. approaches airspace security.
DHS is working with the FAA, the Pentagon and private industry to modernize defenses around critical infrastructure and major public events, with temporary flight restrictions and no-drone zones expected to be tightly enforced in 2026.
