World Cup final fans face two-hour queues amid Trump security
Thousands of supporters, including travelling Spanish fans, endured two-hour entry queues at the World Cup final after US President Donald Trump's attendance triggered unprecedented federal security protocols.
Supporters arriving for the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina have been forced to wait up to two hours to enter the New York New Jersey Stadium. The severe delays are the direct result of heightened security measures implemented specifically for US President Donald Trump, who is attending the 82,500-seater venue as his only in-person match of the tournament.
The presence of a sitting US president has effectively transformed a major commercial sporting event into a federal security zone, highlighting the friction between global event management and state-level protocol. The United States Secret Service has taken over overall security for the game.
In a highly unusual step for football, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)—the agency normally responsible for American airport security—has been brought in to run the entry points. Fans and media are being subjected to the same rigorous scanner protocols used at aviation hubs.
For the thousands of European fans who travelled to North America for the tournament, the change represents a stark departure from standard international matchday experiences. The congestion has been compounded by on-the-ground bottlenecks. One member of the media reported being turned away from an entrance they had already reached and redirected to a different queue because security dogs were not available to search bags at the original gate.
World Cup volunteers at the ground indicated that the volume of people arriving early for this match vastly exceeded the crowds seen at the previous seven games held at the stadium. In response, organisers opened the gates at 11:00 local time, a full four hours before the 15:00 kick-off. Additional gates were subsequently opened sporadically in an attempt to ease the growing congestion.
Despite the significant disruption outside the perimeter, it is not thought that the delays will impact the schedule. Kick-off for Spain versus Argentina remains set for 20:00 BST.
