The 2026 FIFA World Cup — the largest in the tournament's history, featuring 48 national teams across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico — officially opened on June 11, 2026. By the time the final is played in late July, millions of fans will have passed through stadiums, fan zones, public transit systems, restaurants, and hotel lobbies across North America. That makes the World Cup not just a sporting event but, in the words of public health experts, a six-week experiment in global disease mixing.
On June 8, 2026, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued formal public health recommendations for travelers and attendees under a campaign called "With Health, We All Win." PAHO's guidance identified three primary risk categories: heat-related illness, infectious disease spread, and food safety challenges — each of which is amplified by the combination of summer weather, mass crowding, and international travel from countries with varying disease burdens.
