By Lieutenant Colonel David Sierotowicz
MetLife Stadium is no stranger to major events. The Jets or Giants play here almost every weekend during football season. Artists such as Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney and Ed Sheeran have performed before crowds of close to 80,000 people, and in 2014, Super Bowl XLVIII was played right here in New Jersey.
But the World Cup presented an entirely different challenge. This was an international tournament taking place against a backdrop of heightened global tensions. Fans arrived from around the world, bringing different languages, cultures and expectations. Heads of state, including President Donald Trump, would attend games. International teams required around-the-clock security at hotels, training facilities, and base camps.
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Fan events extended well beyond the stadium, with over 650 fan activations across the state throughout the tournament. Transportation networks would be pushed to their limits, and public safety agencies would have to maintain their normal responsibilities while simultaneously managing all aspects of security for this unprecedented international event.
There was no room to simply strive for perfection. We had to be perfect.
Planning for millions
Planning started in 2023 with the FIFA World Cup 2026 Safety and Security Working Groups, which brought together subject matter experts across more than 20 specialized disciplines, including intelligence and threat analysis, crowd management, fire and rescue, counter-drone detection and mitigation, cybersecurity and critical infrastructure, health and medical operations, transportation and security escorts.
The objective was simple: bring the right people together early, create shared understanding and eliminate the traditional silos that can hinder complex operations. Command staff, working groups, FIFA, federal partners and host city representatives met on nearly a daily basis to collaborate and plan.
New Jersey’s Monthly Stakeholder Briefs were presented to hundreds of stakeholders via the Microsoft Teams platform, connecting multiple states and host cities with the White House Task Force, federal partners, private businesses and other organizations affected by the tournament. This brief stood as the foundation of the commanders’ mentality: to share all available information with the communities and agencies we serve and provide constant transparency and timely information to our partners.
At the same time, New Jersey State Police personnel continued performing their everyday responsibilities. Troopers were pulling double duty — maintaining their daily statewide commitments while simultaneously planning for an event unlike anything the region had previously experienced.
In 2025, New Jersey was host to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, bringing nine total games to this region, including the FIFA Club World Cup Final. Four club teams called New Jersey home, necessitating around-the-clock security at the team base camps, training sites, hotels and escort movements. The tournament was a tremendous public safety success for the region and showed our planning process was working — but it was not the World Cup. It was a dress rehearsal for the largest sporting event in the world, which would come the following year.
Beyond the stadium
One of the greatest misconceptions about securing a major sporting event is that the stadium is the only operation. It isn’t. The stadium is the focal point to the public, but security operations extend far beyond where the matches occur.
World Cup operations began when the first international team arrived in New Jersey in early June. Security details continued 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until the final teams, Spain and Argentina, departed on July 20, 2026. That extended operational period, and the assets and personnel that were dedicated to public safety, created an extraordinary strain on the region’s overall resources.
Security operations extended to training sites, team hotels and team base camps for the 13 international teams that called New Jersey home. Public safety resources supported Official NYNJ Fan Hub activations at Sports Illustrated Stadium, fan marches and 650 other regional fan engagements. More than 1,000 team, dignitary and VIP escorts were conducted during the overall operational period. A NYNJ World Cup public safety messaging application was even created by our members, reaching thousands of fans in their native languages and providing emergency messaging instantly to the public when needed.
At the same time, New Jersey could not stop responding to everything else happening across the state. New Jersey’s Office of Emergency Management Statewide Emergency Operations Center was activated for eight additional statewide emergencies during World Cup operations, including several weather events. Our nation’s 250th birthday fell during the World Cup, requiring many Troopers and assets to be assigned to support associated events throughout the state. The Delaney Hall protests in Newark occurred at the beginning of our operational period, requiring hundreds of Troopers to be reassigned just as World Cup operations were getting underway, reinforcing that the world does not slow down for public safety organizations just because you have a large-scale event.
The World Cup was not a singular event like the Super Bowl. It was a complex ecosystem, comprised of multiple events, people, movements, and potential threats — all happening at once.
A new model of command
Command posts were established around specific mission areas. They monitored stadium crowds, regional mobility, intelligence and fan engagements while maintaining constant connectivity and reporting directly to our central unified command area, the Area Command Center (ACC), which was located at the Regional Operations Intelligence Center in West Trenton, NJ.
Inside the ACC, federal, state and local public safety partners worked side by side with our statewide OEM emergency support function (ESF) partners. Rather than operating as independent agencies or in silos, all agencies and disciplines worked as a “Team of Teams.” This model allowed individual organizations to maintain their specific missions while operating as part of one integrated public safety structure.
This model extended beyond New Jersey. New Jersey personnel also served within the International Police Coordination Center (IPCC) in Leesburg, Virginia — a secure, 24/7 multinational coordination hub connecting law enforcement partners from all 16 host cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The IPCC, sponsored by the FBI and utilized for the first time in the United States, proved essential to gleaning international intelligence efficiently for local use and will serve as a template for the Olympics in 2028.
In a tournament of this scale, information sharing was equally as important as physical assets. The ability to receive it quickly — and act on it collectively — was critical.
Operational organization and the integrated command structure used for World Cup planning. From the planning working groups to the operational incident command structure.
Layered security, visible service
The public safety mission also extended into specialized areas. Human trafficking prevention and intervention operations were conducted throughout the tournament, recognizing the increased vulnerability that can accompany large international events. Not only were traffickers arrested, but victims of human trafficking were provided services and connected to those services in real time.
Drone operations and counter-unmanned aerial system interventions provided additional layers of situational awareness and security. Drone detection and mitigation strategies were implemented and utilized at each official site throughout the entire tournament. From the air, drones and helicopters also monitored traffic and crowd movement, with live feeds displayed in the command posts for actionable intelligence, leading to adjustments and redirections of vehicles and people. Tactical resources and covert personnel observed activity from less visible positions while stringent screening operations worked to prevent prohibited items from entering the stadium or other sites. At the same time, members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force were embedded in all operations and connected to the IPCC, proactively pursuing any and all investigative leads throughout the tournament.
Every layer had a purpose. Every layer depended on the others.
The stadium
Inside the stadium, the public saw another visible component of the strategy. For World Cup matches, the number of uniformed New Jersey State Police Troopers was approximately double that of a typical football game.
The increased presence served two purposes. First, it provided a visible deterrent against fights, field incursions and other criminal activity. Second, it reinforced the concept of service.
International visitors frequently approached Troopers to take photographs, ask questions, or simply interact with them. The uniform represented security — but it also represented hospitality. For many visitors, those interactions were their personal introduction to New Jersey, while for us, it was the doorway to the bedrock of service we had been preaching for years.
An example of these efforts played out on Sunday, July 5, 2026. Immediately following the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup match between Norway and Brazil, State Police command was notified of two separate missing persons with autism. Troopers promptly issued descriptions of both missing people to all Troopers on scene, in the stadium as well as the parking lots. Thanks to their rapid response and coordinated efforts, consisting of stadium cameras and boots on the ground, both individuals were safely located and reunited with their families within half an hour. The quick actions of the Troopers led to a successful outcome amid the crowd of approximately 80,000 fans attending the match.
Public safety wasn’t simply about protecting people. It was about helping them enjoy the experience safely.
When the plan was tested
No matter how comprehensive a plan is, the real measure of preparation comes when something unexpected happens.
During game six, an anonymous caller reported a bomb threat and active-shooter complaint involving the stadium, where approximately 80,000 patrons were on the property. Security measures were immediately implemented while investigators worked to identify the caller.
Within an hour, the investigation identified and arrested the individual responsible for the call. It was a moment that demonstrated the importance of preparation, rapid communication, investigative capability and the ability to execute a coordinated response without losing sight of the overall security mission.
The World Cup Final
Then came July 19, 2026. Spain versus Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final. More than one billion people around the world were watching, placing this region’s safety and security efforts on the world stage. Inside the stadium were hundreds of dignitaries and VIPs, including eleven heads of state and the President of the United States.
But the security operation had intensified even before the first whistle. The night before the final, an elevated security threat picture required modifications to the stadium’s security footprint. Additional personnel and resources were brought into the operation, including enhanced vehicle-ramming mitigation barriers. Plans had to change. Resources had to move. Partners had to adapt. And they did.
The resiliency of operations and the ability to pivot and work through the night to enhance our security posture even more, while maintaining coordination among hundreds of agencies, was perhaps the clearest demonstration of everything that had been built over the previous three years.
Collaboration on the world stage
None of this could have been accomplished by one agency. More than 400 federal, state, county, local and private-sector partners contributed to the operation. A federal coordination team ensured that any resource gaps were fulfilled at a local level, FIFA safety and security were embedded with local command, and the White House Task Force paved the way for increased federal funding, updated policies, and connectivity with all host cities.
Each brought a different capability, perspective, responsibility and expertise. The result was more than a successful World Cup security operation. It was the creation of a unified public safety framework for the entire region — one capable of integrating agencies and organizations that traditionally operate independently.
The World Cup demonstrated what can happen when those organizations come together with a common mission. It demonstrated that leadership is not about controlling every decision but about creating conditions for people and organizations to succeed together.
More than a tournament
While the final whistle marked the end of the match, it did not mark the end of what had been accomplished.
For over three years, thousands of public safety professionals prepared for moments they hoped would never happen — threats anticipated but never materialized, emergencies planned for that never occurred, and contingencies that thankfully remained on paper. That is often the paradox of public safety. Success can be measured by what the public never sees.
The crowds enjoyed the games, teams traveled safely, fans celebrated and dignitaries arrived and departed without incident. The final was played, and over a billion people around the world saw a successful World Cup Final.
Behind that experience stood thousands of skillful personnel who spent years preparing for every possibility. We can never thank them all enough for their dedication to their craft, professionalism, tireless efforts, continued vigilance, and, above all else, hospitality to millions of people who will forever remember how they were treated when they came to this region.
The World Cup may have belonged to the players on the field, but the safety of everyone who came to watch belonged to a Team of Teams. And together, that team truly delivered.
About the author
Deputy Superintendent David Sierotowicz, a 25-year accomplished leader of the Division, has commanded numerous specialized units, bureaus and sections, and currently oversees 4,768 enlisted and civilian members. Most recently he served as the Acting Superintendent and Director of Emergency Management for the state of New Jersey. He was appointed Incident Commander for all NY/NJ operations of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which brought together over 400 partner agencies in an unprecedented coordinated and integrated public safety model.
He previously served as Homeland Security Branch Commander, overseeing both the Emergency Management and Special Operations Sections, and as Deputy Superintendent of Operations, was responsible for nearly 1,800 road troopers statewide. His prior assignments also include serving as Major of Troop B and Troop C, and as the Commanding Officer of the Field Operations Section, where he managed security and operations for major events at MetLife Stadium.
Earlier in his career, Acting Colonel Sierotowicz served as Division Operations Officer, leading multiple large-scale deployments and national emergency responses, including the U.S. Capitol civil disturbance, national political conventions, hurricane and earthquake responses in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and civil unrest operations. He has also held command and planning roles for numerous high-profile events, including presidential visits, PGA and USGA tournaments, gubernatorial inaugurations, and the Army–Navy Game.
Deputy Superintendent Sierotowicz holds a doctoral degree in higher education from Seton Hall University and a Bachelor of Arts from Montclair State University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Class #274, and teaches at several universities. He has been married to his wife, Lauren, for 15 years and has two children. He is also active in his community as a youth soccer, football and basketball coach.
