The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has disclosed the scale of a previously unpublicised public health operation it ran alongside the 2026 FIFA World Cup, working to monitor for disease outbreaks and protect the tens of millions of fans attending matches across the United States. The revelation, shared first with Fox News, illustrates how the Trump administration paired its extensive security and counter-drone measures with an equally significant, if less visible, medical surveillance effort for an event of unprecedented scale on American soil.

The tournament comprised 78 matches staged across 11 host cities over 38 days, an undertaking officials likened to hosting 78 Super Bowls, and was watched by an estimated two billion viewers worldwide while delivering a projected $30.5 billion boost to the US economy. Alongside the CDC's disease surveillance work, agencies including the FBI mounted a parallel security operation, with officials describing the combined logistical and public health challenge as one of the most complex ever undertaken for a sporting event in the country.