On Thursday, Dr. Andrew Giuliani toured AT&T Stadium, Fair Park and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

ARLINGTON, Texas — As the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues, North Texas leaders say planning for one of the world’s largest sporting events is well underway.

In June, 11 cities across the United States will welcome visitors from around the globe. This week, that preparation brought a high-profile White House visit to Arlington.

On Thursday, Dr. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the U.S. White House Task Force for the 2026 World Cup, toured AT&T Stadium, Fair Park, and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

The task force is responsible for coordinating federal efforts tied to security, infrastructure, and fan experience as host cities prepare.

“The safety and security to me, that is the key part to all of this,” Giuliani said.

Giuliani emphasized that preventing security incidents remains a top priority.

“We don’t want this story to be about a security incident that either happens in the stadium or somewhere else,” he said.


Will ICE be at AT&T Stadium for World Cup?

During the press conference, Giuliani was asked about immigration enforcement. When asked whether ICE agents or Homeland Security would be present at World Cup matches, Giuliani declined to outline specific plans.

“I know that Secretary Noem and President Trump don’t take everything off the table … I’m not going to comment on what the security footprint is going to look like but we’re going to do everything we can do make sure the venues are safe,” Giuliani said.

WFAA was not allowed on the tour.

However, Arlington Police Chief Alexander Jones told WFAA that security planning has been ongoing for months, pointing to the city’s experience hosting large-scale events.

“We’ve been doing big events in Arlington for a long time … it’s about making sure that you’re not committing crimes because those are the folks that we’re really going after,” Jones said.

WFAA has also reported that Dallas police expect roughly 35,000 people per day at the World Cup fan fest at Fair Park, with federal partners involved in security planning.

With the tournament drawing closer, officials say their focus remains on keeping visitors safe as the world’s attention turns to North Texas.