World Cup concerns raised after shooting in Kansas and stabbing in New York

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Martin Macdonald | Writer

Content writer covering football, formula 1 and movies

Concerns have been raised for the safety of football fans travelling to the World Cup after two major incidents in the United States over the last 48 hours.

The 2026 World Cup will be the biggest edition of the tournament in history due to an expanded format with 48 teams set to compete. With 16 more nations than usual, that means a hell of a lot more games, which means more fans travelling to a host nation - in this case, co-hosts the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Millions of supporters are expected to descend on North America over June and July, so safety and security are paramount.

Two recent incidents have sparked concern in states holding World Cup matches.

Kansas City shooting

A mass shooting near the England team's World Cup base in Kansas City, Missouri, has left nine people injured.

Around 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, police responded to reports of an incident on Troost Avenue. The location sits roughly five miles from England's training base.

Kansas City Police Department captain Jake Becchina told the Athletic that when authorities arrived at the scene they saw large groups of people running away. It was subsequently confirmed that nine people were sent to hospital with injuries, but all are expected to survive.

As well as concern for the victims, concerns were raised about the England team due to the camp's proximity to the incident, but Kansas City Police Department Officer Alayna Gonzalez stressed that it “did not occur near a World Cup venue or anything else World Cup-related."

Kate Fowler, a local resident living on East 75th Street just north of the scene, woke up to find a bullet hole in her front window and a round resting on her living room floor. After talking with her neighbors, she discovered that gunfire had erupted twice in the area, first between 10pm and 11pm on Friday, and again around 4am on Saturday.

“Honestly, I’m glad I slept through it, because I probably would have freaked out,” she told the Kansas City Star.

“We’ve lived here for two years, we’ve been wanting to move pretty much since we got the place — not because of the neighbours or the community or anything like that — just the fact that we live right on 75th Street, and it is so unpredictable. This has further solidified that for us, which is unfortunate, because I think this neighbourhood could be something great.

“It’s just unfortunate circumstances with some of the businesses around here. It’s not the residents, it’s the traffic and the foot traffic, and the lack of resources that causes this type of thing, in my opinion.”

Three Lions players were not in Kansas City at the time as they had a match in Tampa, Florida, over the weekend.

New York City stabbing

Six people were wounded in a stabbing at New York's Penn Station on Sunday. The attack occurred as the area prepares not just to host World Cup matches, but the NBA finals.

While the exact details of the attack remain unclear, City Comptroller Mark Levine stated on X that the suspect is reportedly "an emotionally disturbed homeless person."

State Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement on X:

"Tonight, five people were senselessly attacked at Penn Station in an act of horrific violence.

"Our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones, and we are praying for their full recovery.

"Thank you to the law enforcement officers and first responders whose swift actions prevented further harm.

"New Yorkers deserve to feel safe wherever they go, and we will never stop working to make that a reality."

It was later confirmed that six people had indeed been attacked and taken to hospital, and although one had serious injuries, all are expected to survive.