UK police send only 3 officers to 2026 World Cup in US due to funding refusal

UK police are sending just three officers to the US to accompany England fans at the 2026 World Cup, after American authorities refused to provide funding.

It means there will be 37 fewer 'spotters' compared to the Euros in Germany two years ago, when the hosts covered the costs.

More than 10,000 England fans have bought tickets for each of England's group games in Dallas, Boston and New Jersey, despite criticisms over the prices of tickets and travel in the US next month.

"We would like more [officers]," national football lead Chief Constable Mark Roberts told BBC Sport at a pre-tournament security briefing.

"If there was more there we could try and reduce the risk and make it a bit easier for everyone, but it is what it is and we'll clearly do the best we can with the resources we deploy.

"In Germany we sent 40, because that was the ask of the Germans and they funded it.

"In this case the Americans are not are sold on the idea of the mobile delegations. They're not funding it, so it'll be a smaller deployment.

"We're not criticising that, it's their operation, they'll police it. We see the benefit of spotters, as I think most of the European countries do, because it gives us the opportunity to have a greater coverage of really good experienced people who will liaise with the supporters and the FA.

"But if we want to monitor fans leaving the city centre and then be there to receive them at the ground, you can't be in two places at once. So it limits our ability to do that."

Roberts added that the UK police delegation at each match would ideally include two officers at the stadium, two in the city centre and two in transport hubs – with six to 10 deemed to be the ideal number on the ground. He said there had been six spotters at the World Cup in Russia in 2018 and 16 in Qatar. As is usual at major tournaments, the UK will also have two officers based at an international police co-ordination centre (IPCC).

"We know fan behaviour. The States isn't necessarily a football fan culture in the same way. It's very different', said Roberts.

"There are 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the US, so they will have had different exposure to crowds managing things.

"The behaviour of our fans in tournaments over recent years has been pretty well exemplary, so we start from a good place. I think one of the key reasons we're so keen to send a team out there is that it gives us the opportunity to brief local law enforcement.

"So we always like to be there to communicate to fans if their behaviour is causing offence. Equally to say to local law enforcement, 'this isn't a problem. This is normal behaviour'. So we're going to be more limited in that."