World Cup is Coming and So Are the Crowds

Millions of fans, dozens of nations, and one massive public health moment: Dr. Ilan Shapiro is sounding the alarm that the 2026 FIFA World Cup isn't just the world's greatest sporting spectacle — it's a live stress test for global disease surveillance. Writing with the urgency of a clinician who has seen what happens when crowds and pathogens meet, Shapiro zeroes in on three threats that deserve attention before the first whistle blows.