By Corye Douglas and Hashim Thomas
The 2026 FIFA World Cup brings an extraordinary celebration to North America, which last hosted the tournament in 1994. This time, cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada will host 48 national teams in 104 matches. The tournament will also bring extremely crowded airports, trains, fan festivals, hotel lobbies, bars, watch parties, and close contact with people from around the world. That is not a reason to panic, but it is a reason to prepare.
At the World Cup, fans should treat their health just like their plane tickets, match tickets, and hotels: plan ahead. The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, along with the surveillance around hantavirus, is a reminder that global travel and global health are inseparable. But it is also a reminder that quality information matters.
Hantavirus, measles, heat exhaustion, and food and water safety are also concerns, but fear is not a plan. Stigma is never a plan. The best plan is prevention.
The World Health Organization has determined that the outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease, a form of Ebola, in the DRC and Uganda meets the criteria for a public health emergency of international concern, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Health Alert Network advisory for clinicians, public health officials, and travelers. The CDC has also said the risk of spread to the United States is considered low at this time.
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Why does the distinction matter? Ebola is deadly, but it will not spread by sharing a stadium section, cheering near someone, or sitting beside a fan from another country. The CDC describes Ebola transmission as occurring through direct contact with blood or body fluids from a person who is sick or has died from Ebola, with contaminated objects, with certain infected animals, or with semen from a survivor; people who are sick can spread the virus once symptoms begin. The right response is not to be suspicious of your fellow fans. The right response is compliance with screening, honest symptom reporting, and rapid isolation if risk and symptoms appear. Currently, the CDC recommends avoiding nonessential travel to affected provinces in the DRC and monitoring for symptoms for 21 days after leaving an outbreak area. Also, the CDC announced enhanced screening and traveler monitoring for people arriving from Ebola-affected areas.
Hantavirus deserves the same sober approach. The CDC recently reported an Andes virus cluster linked to a cruise ship and noted that, as of May 18, no confirmed U.S. cases associated with that outbreak had been reported and that the overall risk to the American public was considered extremely low. The CDC also noted that the Andes virus is the only hantavirus known to spread person to person; other New World hantaviruses endemic to the United States are not transmitted person to person.
For fans, the practical lesson is somewhat simple: keep food and trash sealed, wash hands often. However, avoiding rodent-contaminated areas may be difficult as it is not always evident. Also seek medical care if fever, muscle aches, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea, or breathing difficulty develop after relevant travel or exposure. Report to clinicians where you traveled and what you may have been exposed to. Surveillance is not a sign that public health has failed but rather how public health identifies problems early enough to stop them. However, the biggest risks for most World Cup attendees will be the ordinary ones. The CDC’s mass-gathering guidance points to risks from crowding, contaminated food and water, extreme temperatures, injuries, and infectious diseases such as COVID-19, flu, measles, meningitis, and norovirus. Major tournaments are thrilling because they gather people tightly together. This feature of tournaments is the very reason that precautions are needed, although only small adjustments.
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Measles should be taken seriously, as measles activity in the U.S. in 2026 has been substantial. Utah, Arizona, Florida, and Texas have active measles outbreaks, and FIFA games are taking place in Texas and Florida. The CDC recommends that travelers be fully vaccinated against measles before international travel. Before traveling, fans should check their routine vaccinations, especially MMR, and should not assume that childhood memories of vaccination equate to documented immunity.
Protecting your respiratory system is also part of being a safe fan. Do your best to stay away from watch parties when sick. Wear a well-fitting disposable respirator in crowded indoor spaces, airports, transit, or medical settings if you are at high risk, have recently been exposed, or being a good fan and is trying to protect others. The CDC notes that respirators can reduce respiratory virus transmission and are especially useful in crowded settings or when illnesses are on the rise.
Heat may be the most predictable opponent for fans. Summer matches, fan zones, tailgates, and long lines often turn enthusiasm into dehydration or heat illness. Drink nonalcoholic fluids; use sunscreen; wear a hat and sunglasses; choose loose, lightweight clothing; rest in the shade; and plan outdoor activities during cooler parts of the day, where possible. Alcohol and excitement can mask early warning signs of heat exhaustion. Water, shade, and breaks should be part of every game.
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Food and water safety should not be an afterthought, either. Always wash your hands before eating, or use hand sanitizer with at least 70% alcohol when soap and water are unavailable. Also, choose food vendors that look clean and busy. Lastly, ask questions and be cautious about food that has been sitting out in the heat. A preventable stomach illness can ruin a once-in-a-lifetime trip as surely as a missed penalty. The CDC warns that contaminated food and drinks can cause travelers’ diarrhea and other illnesses, so take preventive measures to avoid being stuck at your hotel or Airbnb.
Host cities and tournament organizers also are responsible for maintaining public health. One responsibility is to promote public health messaging that is practical, multilingual, and highly visible. In addition, fans should have easy access to clean water stations, cooling areas, hand hygiene stations, clear exit routes, first-aid locations, and instructions for what to do if they become ill. Health departments should be ready to communicate without sensationalism or without scapegoating. A good public health system makes safe behavior easy for everyone.
This World Cup can be better than its predecessor, and it will be. To do your part, check travel notices, update vaccinations, pack medications, know the symptoms that require care, avoid travel when sick, respect screening procedures, plan for heat, and look out for the people around you. Remember, the happiest fan is not just the one with the best seats at the game but the one who knows that public health is part of this year’s game plan.
(Corye Douglas is a writer, researcher, and risk management professional whose work focuses on cyber policy, public health and national security. His research has been recognized in various media outlets. He holds graduate degrees in protective management from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and cyber policy and risk analysis from Utica University.
Hashim Thomas is a registered nurse with New York State with over a decade of clinical experience. Hashim holds a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Long Island University and a bachelor’s degree in Biomolecular Science from the Polytechnic Institute of NYU.)