Dallas health leaders prepare for FIFA World Cup visitors

Dallas County health leaders say disease monitoring, heat safety and overdose prevention are top priorities ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Health officials across the country are preparing for millions of visitors expected to travel to 11 U.S. host cities during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

AT&T Stadium, which will be referred to as Dallas Stadium during the tournament, is scheduled to host nine matches. Organizers estimate more than three million visitors from around the world will travel to the Dallas-Fort Worth area during the event.

On Wednesday, the Big Cities Health Coalition, which includes 30 urban health departments across the United States, held a virtual news conference with representatives from five host sites.

Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Dr. Philip Huang discussed local preparations and public health concerns tied to the international event.

“From a monitoring standpoint locally, we're doing things like wastewater collection and monitoring that, testing that to see if there is any evidence of an increase in some of these pathogens,” Huang told NBC 5 on Tuesday.

Huang said Dallas County plans to conduct metagenomic testing, which allows health officials to broadly monitor wastewater for diseases and pathogens.

The county also plans to increase testing for mosquito-borne illnesses.

Officials said heat-related illness is another major concern because the tournament will take place from June 14 through July 14, during the peak of the North Texas summer.

“Heat-related illness is certainly one of the biggest given where we are and how hot it gets around here, and maybe some of the people aren't as used to that,” Huang said.

Huang said Dallas County is coordinating with hospitals and emergency rooms to monitor unusual trends and prepare for potential health emergencies during the tournament.

Health officials are also encouraging people to wash their hands frequently and stay up to date on vaccinations.

Huang said opioid overdoses are another concern as large crowds gather for the event. He pointed to Dallas County’s ongoing effort to place Narcan vending machines at DART stations to improve public access to overdose reversal medication.

Health leaders also said they are facing increased demands without receiving dedicated World Cup-related funding similar to what public safety agencies have received.

“Definitely, we're being stretched. We're having to do more than even routine, and there are these threats and impending cuts related. We're worried about the continuation of the public health infrastructure grants and other funding, but I hope you heard this afternoon the importance of everything that's going on,” Huang said during the virtual briefing. “But I'll tell you, for us, at least, we have not received any of the World Cup-specific funds that have come out.”