National Guard, FBI to Assist Mo. Police with World Cup Security

Missouri officials announced that 110 National Guard troops, along with state troopers and FBI agents, will support Kansas City police during the World Cup as part of a coordinated security effort.

By Jack Harvel

Source The Kansas City Star

April 14, 2026

2 min read

What to know

Missouri will deploy 110 National Guard troops, along with state troopers and FBI agents, to support Kansas City police during the World Cup, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors.
Gov. Mike Kehoe said the Guard’s quick reaction force will serve as a visible security presence at the stadium, fan festival and Kansas City International and downtown airports.
Officials said there are no known threats, but federal, state and local agencies are coordinating extensive security planning, including drone monitoring and tightened access controls at fan events.

National Guard and FBI to help Kansas City police during World Cup — The Missouri National Guard’s quick reaction force will assist Kansas City police and provide a visible security presence at World Cup venues, fan festivals and airports throughout the area.

There will be over 100 Missouri National Guard troops deployed to Kansas City for the World Cup, as well as a revolving group of state highway troopers and FBI agents to assist local police.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said during a press conference on Monday that the Missouri National Guard will activate 110 service members, mostly from the Missouri National Guard’s quick reaction force. The team is a military police unit trained to respond to civil disturbances.

“The National Guard’s primary mission is to serve as a visible security deterrent at three locations, Kansas City Stadium, the FIFA fan festival and the Kansas City International and Kansas City downtown airports,” Kehoe said.

Before the press conference, Kehoe signed an executive order to activate the state’s emergency operations center to facilitate communication with federal agencies and other states and coordinate resources between communities.

The executive order says the event could bring as many as 650,000 visitors to the Kansas City metropolitan area from June 11 to July 19, though it’s unclear how accurate that estimate will be. The estimate is higher than all but four host cities, and more than double what Atlanta and Toronto are expecting.

Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said the department has been studying sites and fan behavior to build readiness for the event. The FIFA Fan Festival will be monitored via drone, require transparent bags and be surveilled by drones.

Kehoe added that he believes the combined forces will be able to handle

“Between the National Guard, Highway Patrol, FBI, KCPD and, as we mentioned earlier, a call out to other law enforcement agencies across the state, manpower-wise, we believe we’ll have it covered,” he said.

Andrew Bailey, co-director of the FBI who previously served as Missouri Attorney General, said the agency’s Kansas City field office is “embedding personnel directly into World Cup security planning” across the region.

Bailey said there are “no known threats” to the World Cup games, but that the bureau will be vigilant.

“The threat landscape is ever-evolving,” he said. “What I’m here to tell you is that Kansas City is ready.”

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