For Michael Harpster, the director of the Port Authority’s security operations department and a 20-year FBI veteran, preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup feels a lot like learning a new language. Not French or Spanish, though he’s hearing plenty of accents on calls with FIFA, but the ever-confusing dialect of law enforcement.
“Everyone’s got a different name for their main hub — incident command center, operations control center, command post,” he said with a laugh. “We’re all saying the same thing, just with different words.”
Translating that jargon is just a small piece of the enormous coordination effort Harpster and his team are leading ahead of what FIFA has called the most-watched sports event in human history.
The Port Authority is one of many local, state, and federal agencies gearing up for the region to host eight World Cup matches between mid-June and mid-July 2026, including the tournament final, plus a fan festival in Liberty State Park, crowds at watch parties across the region, thousands of international fans coming to experience the games in person, and tens of thousands of visitors who will be using the region’s transportation network to get to MetLife Stadium and elsewhere.
“We’ve done large-scale events before,” Harpster said, noting the 2014 Super Bowl and annual United Nations General Assembly, when foreign dignitaries and heads of state arrive via the agency’s airports for the yearly meetings. “But the difference here is scale and duration.”
The Super Bowl, he points out, is just one day. The World Cup is 40. That scale will touch every corner of the Port Authority’s operations.
It’s Always About Safety
PATH and the Midtown Bus Terminal will be key arteries for fans heading to matches and gatherings. Planning is underway to ensure platforms and gates don’t exceed safe capacity with real-time crowd monitoring. PATH already plans to deploy its customer ambassadors to assist tourists and riders new to its system, and the PATH Forward modernization program is expected to be complete by summer 2026, improving reliability and delivering refreshed stations in time for game days.
Work to build the ancillary facilities of a new Midtown Bus Terminal will be underway by then, but the existing terminal will remain operational, with buses playing a key role in moving fans between events and transit hubs.
The region’s airports expect both increased domestic and international demand and will require dedicated logistics to manage team movements. The agency and its partners had an opportunity to rehearse those logistics thanks to this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, when nine games were hosted at MetLife Stadium in June and July. The three main airports moved more than 1,200 FIFA-designated VIP arrivals and departures over the tournament, along with 33 flights carrying teams. All went off without a hitch.
We come from a lot of different places, speak with a lot of different accents. But at the end of the day, we have one goal. We want a safe event
Michael Harpster, the director of the Port Authority’s security operations department
The Port of New York and New Jersey is expected to be the main gateway for boatloads of World Cup-themed cargo — scarves, jerseys, flags, and hats — arriving in local stores in time for fans to be appropriately dressed for the games. A new roadway ramp as part of the Port Street Corridor Improvement Project will be completed this fall, streamlining access for the 14,000 trucks moving through the Newark-Elizabeth complex daily.
All Hands
Harpster started taking part in World Cup planning calls in early 2024. Since then, weekly meetings and regular tabletop exercises have brought together FIFA, the FBI, New Jersey State Police, NYPD, and law enforcement from around the world. The team also held in-depth conversations with officials from Qatar, which hosted the most recent World Cup in 2022.
“Everyone brings something to the table,” Harpster said. “Intel from FIFA, knowledge from past events, insights into fan behavior. We can no longer hold onto information and pretend it’s ours alone. We need to share.”
While the matches themselves offer a set schedule and a contained environment, perhaps a greater concern is managing the impromptu watch parties, gatherings in public spaces, and fellow fans looking to celebrate (or commiserate) together even without a ticket.
“Those might end up being bigger than the games themselves,” Harpster said.
Meetings with FIFA have also helped law enforcement identify particularly passionate fanbases and potential flashpoints, including rivalries that may require extra separation to keep celebrations from turning confrontational.
The security effort extends beyond crowd control. FIFA has sponsored training for law enforcement, including the Port Authority Police Department, to better identify signs of human trafficking, a tragic but common byproduct of international mega-events. Counterterrorism is also a main focus.
Many game attendees are expected to stay in New York, making fast and efficient movement across the Hudson River paramount. The tournament period will also coincide with the 250th birthday of the United States in July 2026, when tall ships are expected to arrive in New York Harbor to mark the national milestone in the middle of a global event.
For now, Harpster is focused on the same thing fans will be hoping to see from their players: a team effort.