NYC task force ready for massive 2026 crowds for World Cup, America’s 250th, more: ‘Equivalent of nine Super Bowls happening’
“It’s set to be a blistering summer for the Great Apple, but the city’s got plans to keep everyone cool,” said Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol mid‑week to The Post. Iscol explained that New York is putting together an unprecedented multi‑agency task force to manage a flood of tourists heading to the boroughs for a lineup of high‑profile events, starting with nine World Cup fixtures at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and extending to Fourth‑of‑July fireworks, the 250th anniversary of America, and the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade.
“We’re essentially hosting nine Super Bowls in New York City,” Iscol added. “They’re predicting over 3 billion viewers for the World Cup next summer, and we’ve got nine games happening near the city.” He continued, “We’re also celebrating America’s 250th birthday with fireworks on both rivers, ‘Sail 250’—which will feel like Fleet Week on steroids—plus all the parades and other spectacles we normally juggle in the city.”
The NYPD and regional partners have a track record of policing swarms of people at major events: from Times Square’s New Year’s Eve ball drop to the Big Apple’s own marathon, and even the 2014 Super Bowl at MetLife. Still, the expected crowds this year are projected to be on a whole new level.
“About 200 representatives from city, state and federal agencies convened at the Emergency Operations Center in the Javits Center to iron out the response,” officials said. “We’re assembling an unprecedented meeting and operations system for an unprecedented event,” Alex Lazary, CEO of the NY/NJ FIFA World Cup Host Committee, described. He noted that the nine games will run from June 11 to July 19, and that fans will pour into bars across all five boroughs for watch parties, including a major gathering at Rockefeller Center.
The festival of crowds is slated to kick off with the National Puerto Rican Day Parade and NYC Pride March in June, swelling further with Fleet Week and Independence Day in July—an especially momentous summer as the country turns 250.
In the water, the Mexican training ship Cuauhtémoc will drift into New York Harbor for “Sail 4th”, adding to the armada of tall vessels expected to fill the harbor for the July 4 holiday. Even the U.S. Navy is involved in the advance preparation. Rear Admiral Gavin Duff, U.S. Navy, said the challenge of coordinating “International Naval Review 250” lies in its sheer scale: “We’re bringing in 95 different ships from both the U.S. and international allies—18 to 20 times the number we see at an average Fleet Week.”
Colonel David Sierotowicz, commander of the New Jersey State Police Homeland Security Branch, emphasized that the biggest hurdle for law‑enforcement coordination is ensuring every partner has the right information in real time so they can operate as a single unit for public safety. “We want to make sure that they all have the information they need in real time, and everyone is coming to the table as one unit for public safety,” he said.
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