WASHINGTON, D.C. -- At the halfway point of the World Cup, Fox released data showing that D.C. ranked ninth among local markets for tournament viewership. While the nation’s capital trailed markets such as K.C., Boston and Austin, fans elsewhere were unlikely to be watching quite as closely as some of the most eagle-eyed viewers in Washington.
On the first floor of FEMA’s headquarters, government officials are actively monitoring and coordinating the federal response to the World Cup from a space known as the Special Events Coordination Center. Representatives from agencies including the DEA, Coast Guard, FCC, ICE and TSA sit tightly packed on the SECC Watch Floor, each at an individual workstation.
Each day, the group holds an interagency coordination call known as a WISLE Brief, a soccer-themed acronym that stands for Warning/Weather, Intent, Safety/Security, Logistics/Communications and Event Operation. The call includes representatives from more than 35 federal agencies, federal personnel stationed in the host cities and liaisons embedded at FIFA’s Tournament Operations Center in Coral Gables, Fla.
On Monday, White House Task Force Exec Dir Andrew Giuliani and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin joined the call from the watch floor. That day’s briefing focused on the transition from the group stage to the knockout rounds. FBI officials discussed adjusting security operations as eliminated teams closed their base camps, while a White House task-force liaison at FIFA headquarters warned that rising fan intensity would require closer monitoring of crowd management and behavior.
All 11 U.S. host markets were marked “green” on a status map, indicating no significant issues or unmet needs. The most immediate concern discussed that day wasn’t terrorism, but the weather.
The roughly 17-minute call returned repeatedly to an impending heat wave, with a representative of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasting “dangerous to even record-setting heat” in the Northeast. Officials noted that even in markets with domed stadiums, outdoor fan festivals could present significant public-safety concerns.
The State Department also provided updates on happenings in the other two host nations, Canada and Mexico. Those included the arrest of four alleged members of an international theft ring accused of stealing from World Cup tourists in Monterrey and an investigation by British Columbia’s consumer-protection regulator into StubHub.
Addressing the group, Giuliani highlighted several actions that federal agencies had taken during the tournament. The U.S. Marshals Service recovered 35 missing or endangered children through Operation Yellow Card in Massachusetts. An HHS-funded infectious-disease response unit provided around-the-clock medical and biocontaminant coverage for the DR Congo presidential delegation amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak, while the CDC conducted surveillance and distributed public-health resources.
Giuliani also said the State Department helped secure a visa for the mother of Cabo Verde GK Vozinha.
“I know there were some questions about whether or not she had gotten a visa -- she had never applied,” Giuliani said. “So as soon as we found out, we said, ‘Let’s make sure that we can get the goalie’s mom in there.’ We did not want to be responsible for any own goals being let in.”
Mullin followed, reporting that the government had brought down or confiscated more than 500 drones flying in restricted airspace around stadiums or fan festivals. Responsibility for drone security is divided between several federal agencies, with CBP handling five stadiums, the FBI handling three, the Coast Guard taking two and Federal Protective Service watching over one. He also highlighted enforcement efforts related to human trafficking, illicit drugs and counterfeit goods.
The briefing -- and the government’s decision to allow a small group of reporters to observe it -- made clear that federal officials view the tournament’s first half as an operational success. That framing should not go unexamined, but the absence of a major security failure thus far is meaningful as the U.S. prepares to host a succession of global sporting events, most notably the 2028 Olympics in L.A.
Quote of the Week: “We had to raise holy hell to get their attention. There’s almost a survivor’s-guilt kind of feeling for us -- we got complimentary tickets, but what about all the other people?” -- StubHub customer Sarah Wright, whose World Cup ticket order was canceled by the resale marketplace at the last minute. StubHub provided replacement tickets after a social media post by Wright and her husband went viral (REUTERS, 6/26).
Pulisic in the limelight: With Christian Pulisic in his prime and firmly established as the USMNT’s biggest star, his marketability may never be greater than during this home-soil World Cup.
“Christian is in a unique position within the team, but also in terms of recognizability compared with some of the other players,” said Matthew Moore, Pulisic’s longtime agent. “So, it’s allowed us to really build out great campaigns with our partners and also attract some new ones.”
To seize the moment, the Pennsylvania native, who plays his club soccer in Italy for AC Milan, maintained a busy production schedule with his commercial partners over the past year to develop the creative now on display.
“We’ve had a very crazy past 12 months,” Moore said. “We’ve been practically doing shoots once every 10 days for the past 12 months. Obviously, we try to spread it out as much as possible, but it was a lot of work and a lot of time that was put into it.”
According to data from iSpot.tv, commercials featuring Pulisic aired 22,141 times on U.S. television over the past 30 days.
Pulisic’s partnership portfolio largely consists of brands he has worked with for years, including Puma, Hershey, Gatorade and Panini. Only three of the 12 brands on his roster are new for the 2026 World Cup cycle: Chobani, Mondelēz and McDonald’s.
Moore said that is by design, with Pulisic prioritizing authentic, multiyear relationships. While the McDonald’s deal is primarily focused on this World Cup, Chobani and Mondelēz have made longer-term commitments.
Much of the World Cup creative has positioned Pulisic alongside the sport’s biggest global stars. In a Michelob Ultra commercial, he goes head-to-head with Argentina’s Lionel Messi in a game of soccer inside a hotel. He also appears with Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior in a Gatorade spot.
For Moore, the campaigns represent a measure of vindication after years spent convincing marketers that Pulisic’s on-field performance would live up to the hype.
“It took a lot of convincing in the beginning to get partners and sponsors to believe that he was going to follow through and perform on the field,” Moore said. “This time now is a culmination of them seeing that and then repaying him and all his achievements by putting him up front and center in all of their campaigns with the biggest stars in the world.”
Free Kicks
- Given the record viewership Fox and Telemundo have generated, one of the biggest questions emerging from this World Cup is who will secure the U.S. rights to the next several editions of the men’s tournament. My colleague Austin Karp reported Wednesday that NBCUniversal is in discussions with FIFA not only about renewing Telemundo’s Spanish-language rights but also about adding the English-language package to its portfolio. Selling both language packages to a single corporate entity would be uncharted territory for FIFA in the U.S. Before the current Fox-Telemundo arrangement, ESPN and Univision held the English- and Spanish-language rights, respectively.
- Marketers at Levi’s, Heinz and Lumen have drawn considerable praise for cleverly capitalizing on FIFA’s mandated coverings of their branding at World Cup venues, generating attention without paying for official sponsorship rights. That behavior, however, has drawn the ire of sports sponsorship veteran Ricardo Fort, who previously worked on World Cup marketing for Coca-Cola and Visa. In a LinkedIn post that generated robust discussion, Fort argued that glorifying those campaigns “normalizes something concerning: the idea that finding shortcuts deserves the same admiration as supporting the event itself.”
- Cabo Verde’s surprise run to the knockout stage is benefiting two smaller players in the sportswear industry, Capelli Sport and Senda Athletics. Capelli signed a four-year agreement earlier this year to become the African island nation’s official technical and apparel partner. The brand’s online store features Cabo Verde’s home and away kits, along with a goalkeeper jersey bearing the name of Vozinha. Speaking of Vozinha, his newfound fame has also generated exposure for Senda, which supplies his fair-trade certified cleats. Canadian GK Maxime Crépeau is also a Senda ambassador and is helping introduce the company’s cleats and forthcoming goalkeeper gloves, giving the small Miami-based company two visible representatives in the knockout rounds.
What’s Happening
SBJ is tracking the dozens of industry gatherings, watch parties, fan zones and other happenings surrounding the World Cup. Here’s a selection of events worth your attention:
