The Defense Health Agency (DHA)’s Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division (AFHSD) has developed several public health surveillance and preparedness resources for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The AFHSD’s Integrated Biosurveillance Branch identified vector-borne diseases, including dengue and malaria, as potential importation risks because some participating countries have endemic transmission. Respiratory pathogens—including seasonal influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and measles—are also a concern given high-density gatherings and varying global immunization levels. Food-borne and enteric pathogens, including salmonella and norovirus, are additional considerations during large-scale events involving significant crowding and increased demand on food service infrastructure.
The following DHA resources are attached to this article.
- Briefing Document – Surveillance Preparedness for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which tracks significant public health events by geographic combatant command (dated April 17, 2026)
- Map – 2026 FIFA World Cup Visiting Countries and Most Prevalent Disease Category Map, which reviews where participating countries will play group-stage matches and the most prevalent disease category for each country
- Map – 2026 FIFA World Cup Visiting Countries Most Prevalent Disease and Importation Risk by US Host City, which displays the participating countries scheduled to play group-stage matches in each US host city, the countries’ most prevalent diseases, and the importation risk of each disease
- Map – IB 2026 FIFA World Cup Base Camps, which summarizes team base camps in relation to host cities