The men’s football 2026 World Cup taking place simultaneously in Canada, Mexico and the United States is expected to host over six million people across the three countries.
As with every mass gathering, public health experts and health authorities are watching for any outbreaks or clusters that could threaten attendees’ wellbeing.
At Georgetown University in Washington DC Rebecca Katz co-leads the Health Security Operations Center, a non-governmental coordination team focused on infectious disease threats associated with the tournament.
“Mass gatherings are complicated. There are always infectious disease threats that are associated with them,” Katz told Euronews Health.
Its core functions include monitoring disease signals across host city regions and communities travellers are arriving in, issuing health alert notices if significant risks are detected and tracking online discussions related to emerging health concerns.
