By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- • Seattle-area law enforcement agencies, led by the Seattle Police Department and King County Sheriff’s Office, have spent more than two years developing a comprehensive security plan for six FIFA World Cup matches at Lumen Field.
- • An estimated 750,000 visitors are expected in Seattle over the 3½-week tournament, prompting agencies from across Washington state and the federal government to contribute personnel and equipment.
- • Counter-drone operations represent a primary security focus, with the King County Sheriff’s Office receiving $11.7 million in federal funding to purchase three mobile counter-UAS trailers at $3 million each.
- • Transit security is a central component of the plan, with more than 100 additional officers set to be deployed across Sound Transit and Metro Transit on game days.
- • Congress appropriated $625 million for public safety across all 11 U.S. host cities; Washington state agencies collectively received approximately $30 million, with the Seattle Police Department awarded $8.5 million and the King County Sheriff’s Office awarded $5.3 million for officer overtime.
SEATTLE, Wash. — Law enforcement agencies across the Seattle region have finalized a multi-jurisdictional security plan for six 2026 FIFA World Cup matches scheduled at Lumen Field, with preparations spanning more than two years and involving more than 50 agencies and city departments operating under unified command.
Seattle Police Capt. Dan Nelson and King County Undersheriff Jeff Flohr are among the senior officials who have led planning efforts, developing contingency plans for threats including crowd crushes, vehicle attacks, and weaponized drones. On match days, representatives from those agencies and dozens of others — including the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington State Patrol, and U.S. Air Marshals — will operate out of a joint information center at Fifth Avenue and Washington Street in downtown Seattle, under the direction of Seattle’s Office of Emergency Management.
“There are just a myriad of issues — if you can think of it, we probably have a contingency for how to respond to it,” Nelson said.
Contributing agencies extend beyond the Seattle metro area. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is sending a helicopter, and motorcycle officers from the Kennewick Police Department will assist with escorts at King County International Airport, where teams, dignitaries, and government officials will arrive throughout the tournament. The Seattle Fire Department has coordinated ambulance routing to Harborview Medical Center. Neither the Seattle Police Department nor the King County Sheriff’s Office will pull personnel from regular patrol duties to staff World Cup assignments, officials said, ensuring 911 response capacity remains unaffected.
With no public parking available at Lumen Field or T-Mobile Park, officials anticipate the majority of the estimated 62,000 to 63,000 per-game attendees will arrive by light rail or bus. The King County Sheriff’s Office, which is responsible for policing Sound Transit and Metro Transit, typically assigns 50 to 60 officers to transit duty on a given day; that number will increase by more than 100 officers on game days. Officials have designated the area around Pioneer Square, SODO, and Stadium light rail stations as “the last mile” and are working to manage pedestrian flow through the corridor. Seattle officers assigned to World Cup events will wear bright yellow uniform shirts, and plainclothes officers will be deployed among pedestrian crowds. Newly installed cameras in the stadium district will be monitored by the Real Time Crime Center in the event of credible threats or active incidents, Nelson said.
Counter-drone operations represent one of the most significant expansions of local law enforcement authority in the security plan. The Safer Skies Act, which took effect in December 2025, authorized the FBI to cross-deputize local officers to detect, track, and, when lawfully authorized, interfere with illegally operated drones. The King County Sheriff’s Office — which operates the only full-time rotary air support unit in Western Washington — was designated the lead local agency for counter-UAS operations and received $11.7 million in federal funding. Most of that funding went toward three mobile counter-drone trailers, each priced at $3 million. The trailers function as rolling electronics suites capable of detecting unauthorized drones, locating their operators, and sharing data across command centers and the sheriff’s Guardian One helicopter unit.
“Basically, it’s equipment looking for equipment,” Flohr said. “It tells us where the person illegally flying is, tells us how to get to them and then if we have to, if we realize it’s got a payload or looks dangerous, allows us to use electronics to intercept or interfere with that drone.”
Sgt. Eric Kim, counter-UAS coordinator for the King County Sheriff’s Office, said drone operators found violating temporary flight restrictions — which will be enforced in the airspace above Lumen Field beginning three hours before and ending three hours after each match — will be subject to either criminal or civil action, with potential fines of up to $100,000. Drones operated by FIFA and authorized media organizations will be pre-registered as cleared in the sheriff’s dispatch system. John Diaz, former Seattle Police Chief and current chief of security for Seattle FIFA World Cup 26, the local organizing committee, noted the scope of the 2026 tournament — with 48 teams competing across 16 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — makes it the largest sporting event in history.