Fewer than half of U.S. states are adequately prepared for a health emergency ahead of the 2026 World Cup, according to a new report [1].
This lack of readiness poses a potential risk to public safety as the U.S. prepares to host millions of international visitors. The gaps in infrastructure and emergency planning could hinder the ability of local governments to respond to disease outbreaks or other medical crises during the tournament.
The research, released Thursday by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), assessed the readiness of all 50 states and Washington, D.C. [1, 2]. The findings indicate that only 20 states scored as "high" on the preparedness scale [1].
A larger group of 17 states and Washington, D.C., were categorized in the middle tier of readiness [1]. The remaining 13 states fell below that middle tier, scoring low in their ability to handle a public health emergency [1].
The TFAH report highlights these systemic vulnerabilities as the nation enters the final stages of planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The assessment focuses on the ability of state-level health departments to coordinate responses and deploy resources effectively during a crisis [1, 2].
While the report does not specify which individual states scored lowest, it emphasizes the broad nature of the deficiency across the country. The disparity between high-readiness and low-readiness states suggests an uneven landscape of public health security, one that may be tested by the scale of a global sporting event.
“Fewer than half of U.S. states are adequately prepared for a health emergency”
The findings suggest a critical misalignment between the U.S. government's role as a global host and the actual operational capacity of its state health systems. Because public health response is largely managed at the state level, the high number of middle- and low-tier states creates a fragmented safety net that could struggle to manage a synchronized, multi-city health crisis during the World Cup.
