U.S. health experts are preparing to monitor wastewater for signs of infectious disease outbreaks during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as millions of fans are expected to travel to host cities across North America, organizers told Reuters.
The tournament, scheduled to run for 39 days, will feature matches in the United States, Canada and Mexico, creating one of the largest international sporting gatherings ever held in the region.
Public health specialists warn that the scale of global travel linked to the event increases the risk of spreading infectious diseases, including measles, Ebola and mosquito-borne illnesses such as dengue and chikungunya. Large crowds, busy transport hubs and close contact among visitors can accelerate transmission before cases are identified through traditional healthcare systems.
The wastewater surveillance initiative is being coordinated from Washington by epidemiologists working with academic institutions, nonprofit organizations and private-sector partners. Researchers will collect sewage samples from host cities and analyze them for genetic traces of viruses and bacteria.
Using advanced DNA and RNA sequencing, scientists can detect pathogens circulating in communities even when infected individuals show no symptoms or do not seek medical care.
Wastewater monitoring has been widely adopted by public health agencies since the COVID-19 pandemic as an early warning system for outbreaks. Because sewage reflects population-wide health trends, experts say it can provide alerts days or weeks before hospitals report rising case numbers.
In addition to wastewater analysis, the World Cup monitoring effort will include the use of anonymized electronic health records and publicly available online data to identify unusual patterns that may signal emerging outbreaks.
Findings will be compiled into daily reports and shared with local and federal health authorities, hospitals and World Cup organizers, including FIFA.
Health experts say the initiative is intended not only to safeguard the 2026 tournament but also to serve as a model for managing public health risks at future mass gatherings, including the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
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