Officials say Houston’s security plan for the FIFA World Cup covers everything from a lost child at Fan Fest to the worst-case scenarios.
HOUSTON — Houston leaders say a yearslong security operation is now entering its final phase as the city prepares to host the FIFA World Cup next month.
Officials with the Houston Host Committee, local law enforcement and emergency management agencies gathered Monday at the stadium formerly known as NRG Stadium, which FIFA will temporarily rename “Houston Stadium” during the tournament, to outline preparations for the global event.
“With the event approaching and excitement builds, we’re here to report: Houston is ready,” said Chris Canetti with the Houston Host Committee.
The tournament is expected to bring tens of thousands of fans from around the world into Houston over a 39-day operational period. Officials said the city’s security strategy has been under development for the past two years.
Tommy Calabro, who has helped oversee planning efforts, said safety remains the top priority. Calabro has over 40 years of experience with the Houston Police Department and its tactical operations unit.
“We set the bar high and looked at the worst things that could happen all the way down to a lost child at Fan Fest,” Calabro said.
The security operation includes coordination between the Houston Police Department, Houston Fire Department, Houston Office of Emergency Management, multiple Harris County agencies, the Texas Department of Public Safety and federal partners including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.
Officials said the plan focuses on prevention, preparedness, protection and rapid response.
An estimated $80 million in federal funding through DHS and FEMA — coordinated with a White House task force — is being used to support operations, training, technology upgrades and counter-drone detection and mitigation systems.
Calabro said security teams will be strategically deployed across key locations including hotels, the FIFA Fan Festival, Houston Stadium and fan march routes throughout the city.
Those deployments will include crowd management units, SWAT teams, bomb squads, K-9 units, investigative response teams and traffic and mobility operations.
Leaders are also encouraging visitors to use METRO public transit to move around the city during matches and events. METRO police officers are expected to play a major role in crowd and transit security.
“We’ve invested in monitoring capabilities and established safety protocol to support crowd management and rapid response during the event,” Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock, METRO’s board chair said.
Officials said Houston’s experience hosting major events — including the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and past championship sporting events — helped build the foundation for the World Cup planning effort.
“As we received information from FIFA on the World Cup tournament, those plans evolved to meet the World Cup tournament for the 39-day operational period,” Calabro said.
Emergency officials said the plan also includes coordination with regional hospitals and healthcare systems in case of a large-scale emergency.
FIFA is scheduled to begin taking over NRG Park for World Cup operations Friday and will remain onsite throughout the tournament.
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