$250M Awarded to States to Secure Airspace for World Cup 2026
Washington: The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded $250 million to states hosting Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup 2026 matches and to the National Capital Region, accelerating federal preparations to secure American airspace against unmanned aircraft threats ahead of what officials expect to be the largest sporting event ever staged in the country.
The funding, announced in Washington, marks the first tranche under FEMA’s new Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) Grant Program. Eleven host states and the National Capital Region will use the money to strengthen their ability to detect, identify, track, and mitigate unauthorised unmanned aircraft, commonly referred to as drones, during large public gatherings, including World Cup fixtures and other high-profile national events.
According to FEMA, the grants were awarded just 26 days after the application deadline, making the programme the fastest non-disaster funding initiative ever executed by the agency. The speed of the rollout reflects heightened federal concern over the growing use of drone technology by criminal networks, terrorist actors, and hostile foreign entities, particularly in environments involving dense crowds and critical infrastructure.
Officials have framed the programme as part of a broader shift in United States homeland security policy toward tighter airspace control. The C-UAS grants align with the executive order on Restoring American Airspace Sovereignty, signed in June 2025, which identifies unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) as a rising national security challenge. The order cites drone misuse for cross-border smuggling, delivery of contraband into prisons, surveillance of law enforcement, disruptions at mass gatherings, and repeated incursions near military and sensitive government installations.
The grant programme itself was authorised under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, signed into law in July. It provides $500 million in federal funding over two years to enhance state and local counter-drone capabilities. The current $250 million allocation is limited to World Cup host states and the National Capital Region, which is also preparing for America 250 national events. The remaining $250 million is scheduled for distribution next year to all United States states and territories, with an expanded focus on building nationwide detection and response capacity.
While FEMA has not publicly detailed the precise allocation formula for the $250 million tranche, the agency indicated that awards were made specifically to the 11 World Cup host states and the National Capital Region based on their role in hosting high-density, high-visibility events. The announcement does not specify whether funding levels are uniform or calibrated according to factors such as venue count, anticipated attendance, population density, or assessed risk profiles. FEMA has also not outlined project-level benchmarks, audit schedules, or post-event evaluation mechanisms for the C-UAS grants, though it has emphasised that recent reforms to its grant programmes are intended to tighten oversight and ensure funds are spent on clearly defined security outcomes.
FEMA officials said the funds are intended to equip state and local law enforcement agencies with tools to address drone-related threats within existing legal frameworks. Recent statutory changes, including new authorities under the Safeguarding American Federal Enforcement from Surveillance, Harassment, and Exploitation of Reconnaissance Systems (SAFER SKIES) Act, have widened the scope for non-federal agencies to receive grants for equipment and services related to the detection, tracking, and identification of drones and drone signals, subject to the legal authorities of those agencies.
At the same time, the expanded counter-drone framework carries implications for airspace regulation and civil liberties, which the executive order itself addresses through repeated legal safeguards. While directing federal and state agencies to deploy technologies capable of detecting, tracking, and identifying drones, the order specifies that such actions must remain consistent with the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Privacy Act of 1974. Automated, real-time access to identifying information associated with drone remote identification signals is permitted only for law enforcement purposes and with national security and privacy protections in place, highlighting the sensitivity surrounding aerial surveillance and data collection.
The order also reflects an effort to pair enforcement with regulatory clarity. It directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to accelerate rulemaking on restricting drone flights over fixed-site facilities, including critical infrastructure, and to make Notices to Airmen and Temporary Flight Restrictions more easily accessible online in formats suitable for drone geofencing systems. By improving transparency around restricted airspace, the administration positions compliance by lawful drone operators as a parallel objective alongside stronger enforcement. For civilian drone users, including hobbyists, commercial operators, and media organisations, the expanded counter-unmanned aircraft systems posture is likely to translate into wider use of temporary flight restrictions and stricter enforcement around venues and critical infrastructure, reinforcing airspace controls rather than fundamentally altering existing drone regulations.
Further provisions instruct the United States Department of Justice to ensure full enforcement of civil and criminal laws when drone operations endanger public safety or violate airspace restrictions, and to submit recurring legislative proposals to revise criminal penalties where necessary. While the order does not spell out the contours of future penalties, it signals that existing legal frameworks may be reassessed as drone-related threats evolve, particularly in the context of mass gatherings.
The executive order also establishes a Federal Task Force to Restore American Airspace Sovereignty, chaired by the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. The task force is mandated to review operational, technical, and regulatory gaps across agencies and to propose coordinated responses to unmanned aircraft threats, consistent with applicable law. Parallel directives call for the integration of counter-unmanned aircraft systems responses into Joint Terrorism Task Forces and the establishment of a National Training Center for Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems, with early training focused on securing major international sporting events such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
FEMA’s announcement follows what the agency described as a comprehensive review of its grant programmes. Under the current administration, FEMA has stated that it has tightened oversight to curb waste, fraud, and abuse and to ensure that taxpayer funds are directed toward projects with demonstrable public safety outcomes. The Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Grant Program, officials argue, reflects this recalibrated approach by prioritising operational readiness and rapid deployment.
As preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup intensify, the grants underscore a recognition that airspace security has become a central, if less visible, component of managing mass gatherings. While much of the public focus remains on stadium readiness and surface logistics, federal policy now treats the skies above such events as a contested and regulated space where security imperatives, legal authority, and civil liberties increasingly intersect.
– global bihari bureau
