New Resources Now Available to Help Facilities Prepare for 2026 FIFA World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place in 16 cities throughout Canada, Mexico and the United States between June 11 and July 19.

Blood collection facilities located in regions in which World Cup matches will be played are encouraged to develop operational plans in preparation. To assist, new resources outlining steps facilities should take are now available.

The new “Guidance for Blood Collection Facilities Preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup” document translates information from the Task Force’s Disaster Operations Handbook into practical steps that blood collection facilities can take before, during and after match days to ensure continuity of operations, coordinated information flow, safe and adequate blood inventories, and resilient logistics necessary to meet patient needs.

Also included is a second document, “2026 FIFA World Cup Blood Center Preparedness – Cheat Sheet” designed to summarize key points that facilities should keep in mind as they develop their operational plans. Both documents include contact information for World Cup host cities’ local emergency management and FIFA medical planning leaders.

Additional information about disaster preparedness and response is available on AABB’s Disaster Response web page.