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June 5, 2026

FIFA World Cup 2026 Public Health recommendations for healthcare facilities and laboratories

➜ This health advisory is also available in PDF format (562 KB)

Key points

  • There will be an increase in travelers to Seattle and King County during upcoming FIFA World Cup events being held June 15, 2026 – July 6, 2026. Over 750,000 visitors are expected during the games.
  • Healthcare facilities should review their internal emergency response and disaster preparedness plans.
  • The increased number of people in the region may result in increases in healthcare utilization and detection of reportable diseases, including diseases not normally present in Washington.
  • King County residents may also be traveling domestically or internationally for matches and they should ensure they have recommended vaccines ahead of travel.
  • Close contact among individuals in the context of gatherings and celebrations can increase potential for disease transmission.
  • Collect a thorough travel history and consider travel-associated infections when patients present for healthcare; gather information about possible recent participation in World Cup related events.
  • Healthcare providers and laboratories should promptly report notifiable conditions to Public Health at 206-296-4774, including outbreaks, unusual case presentations, or clusters of illness.

Background

City of Seattle & King County are preparing to host a series of six FIFA World Cup matches from June 15, 2026, through July 6, 2026. While King County has not received information regarding any threats specific to these events, healthcare facilities should be prepared for naturally occurring events that might result in increases in illness, the possibility of intentional events resulting in civilian morbidity or mortality, and general increase in utilization and demand on healthcare resources due to substantial increases in population in King County during this time. In addition, continued transmission of communicable diseases may result in ongoing increases in healthcare utilization following the end of the World Cup matches.

Public Health – Seattle & King County (Public Health) recommends that healthcare facilities continue to review and update their emergency response and disaster preparedness plans as needed to ensure ongoing readiness for upcoming FIFA events. General recommendations include:

  • Evaluate healthcare facility protocols to ensure safety and security;
  • Evaluate vaccination, or immunity status, of employees and volunteers for measles, COVID-19, and other vaccine preventable diseases;
  • Reiterate the importance of timely reporting of notifiable conditions, including unusual disease presentations or clusters; For possible measles cases, please reach out to Public Health at the time of suspicion to discuss testing approaches and other public health actions
  • Review PPE and identify-isolate-inform processes for appropriate for different pathogens, including airborne, droplet, and contact precaution workflows;
  • Highlight the importance of travel-based screening of patients, including collecting a thorough travel history and possible participation in World Cup matches or events
  • Ensure clinical and laboratory staff are up-to-date on biological, chemical, and radiological agents that may pose a threat to people in King County.

Summary of event dates

Date Match
June 15, 2026 Belgium vs. Egypt
June 19, 2026 USA vs Australia
June 24, 2026 Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar
June 26, 2026 Egypt vs Iran
July 1, 2026 [to be determined] vs [to be determined]
July 6, 2026 [to be determined] vs [to be determined]

Expected communicable disease risks

We expect higher risk of communicable disease spread and increased healthcare utilization during June and July 2026. Common infections are likely to remain common. Specific communicable diseases we anticipate increasing in incidence are shown below.

Pathogen Reason for concern
Hepatitis A Foodborne outbreaks, higher incidence in countries of participating visitors, increases in unlicensed food vendors
Norovirus Outbreaks common, high transmissibility
E. coli Potential for different strains based on visitors’ countries
Measles Increased incidence in USA, Canada, Mexico, and across the globe
COVID-19 Uncertain seasonality; increased global travel can quickly introduce variants
Respiratory viruses, Potential for increased transmission, especially from visitors’ countries
including Influenza, RSV where these are in season
Tuberculosis Increased incidence possible in visitors’ countries
Mpox Evolving epidemiology
HIV, STIs Sexually transmitted infections can increase at world events
Multi-drug resistant bacteria and C. auris Not likely an acute problem; introduction could lead to gradual emergence

Adapted from Mehrotra P, Mathew T, Trulik KG, et al. Sports fever! Getting the ball rolling to prevent infections at the World CupTM and beyond. Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology. 2026;6(1):e61. doi:10.1017/ash.2026.10319

Health risks associated with national and international travelers

Due to an increase in travel domestically and internationally and the increased number of visitors to King County during World Cup events, anticipate increases in notifiable disease burden including the possibility for importation of communicable diseases not normally seen here. Possible communicable disease risks associated with large events and with specific countries participating in the World Cup games are provided in the screening tools in this health advisory.

Disease reporting

Report notifiable conditions to Public Health within required timeframes, as outlined for healthcare providers and laboratories.

Public health surveillance relies on healthcare providers and laboratories to promptly report all suspected and laboratory-confirmed cases of notifiable conditions. While Public Health reviews surveillance data from multiple sources, rapid reporting by healthcare providers is critical to early detection of disease events. This includes reporting by phone of conditions requiring immediate notification (such as measles), suspected outbreaks, unusual presentations or clusters of illness, suspected infections with high-consequence pathogens, or suspected infections with biological threat agents.

Unusual patterns of disease may include:

  • Multiple similarly presenting cases closely clustered in time
  • Multiple similarly presenting cases among persons who attended the same event or who worked in the same venue
  • Suspected disease not endemic to Washington
  • Novel transmission patterns identified
  • Increase in a common syndrome occurring out of season
  • Serious, unexpected, unexplained acute illness with atypical host characteristics

Screening tools for healthcare providers

Public Health has developed several patient screening tools to support clinicians in the identification and work-up of communicable diseases and other biological threats. These tools are included with this health advisory.

Resources

For Healthcare Facilities and Laboratories: