How long it takes to clear a 90,000-seat stadium in an emergency as FIFA details banned items
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Jack Gorman/Getty Images
A security experts has outlined the evacuation procedure for a 90,000-seat stadium at the World Cup, as FIFA has placed banned items into five groups.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the largest, most expansive, and most lucrative tournament in sporting history.
It's also home to some of the biggest stadiums in the entire world, with Dallas Stadium, officially known as AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, seating over 105,000 attendees for soccer matches during the tournament.
But with such great capacity also comes great risk, and the US has reportedly spent $625 million on security ahead of the World Cup, in order to fulfill President Trump's wishes for the tournament to be 'safe, welcoming and memorable' for all who are traveling.
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And a security expert has shed light on just how long it would take to clear a stadium of this size in an emergency.
"The evacuation of a 90,000-seat stadium depends on a variety of factors: the layout of the stadium, the circumstances, the exits, but most importantly, the behavior of the crowd and whether they will follow instructions," says Corey Pollard, a lawyer and managing partner of Corey Pollard Law, speaking to UNILAD.
"The aim is always to transport people to safety as quickly as possible. That sometimes needs to be done slowly to prevent being trampled down by the crowd."
The expert added: "In some stadiums, this involves communicating with the police, fire department, medical, and transportation officials; clearing the path for other spectators; opening routes and directing people to multiple exits; and sometimes holding people back temporarily."
And he further noted that the 'crowd's movement puts fans at the greatest risk'.
Pollard said: "When people are all panicking, it's not possible to make a proper evacuation.
"It must be transparent and under control. Good safety planning means no one is in a hurry for the exit."
He warned that those attending World Cup games must be 'told what to do, where staff are, and the routes need to be accessible'.
Prior to the tournament, FIFA released a lengthy list of banned items, which they split into five categories.
The groups include hazardous items, food/liquids, flags and political items, electronics, musical and telecommunication items, and other prohibited items.
This spans the obvious, including 'weapons of any kind' and explosives, to objects which 'could be used as a weapon', such as beach umbrellas or motorcycle helmets.
Soccer fans wanting to watch the games in person better have deep pockets. Here’s what accommodation, tickets and food and drink will cost:
NBC has crunched the numbers on hotels, looking at the average for the five cheapest hotels within 15 miles of the station as of late last month.
Anyone booking a hotel to catch the US’ opening game against Paraguay on June 12 can expect to pay around $710 for a two-night hotel stay in Los Angeles.
Fans wanting to catch their match against Turkey on June 25 will pay a similar price.
To catch their game against Australia in Seattle on June 19, you can expect to pay $660.
Now to get your ticket for the game…
Tickets for the opening game against Paraguay are still available from around $646, via Seatpick.
To watch the game against Australia or Turkey, tickets are selling from $640.
I bet all that number crunching has made you thirsty…
Prices at a warm-up match between England and New Zealand at the Raymond James stadium in Tampa, Florida on Saturday (6 June) might give an indication of what to expect in the World Cup proper, which is bad news for fans.
A large beer was advertised at $18.75, while just a bottle of water was priced at $7.50.
Meanwhile, according to Football Ground Guide, a basic meal and a beer will set you back $32.24 at the Los Angeles, or SoFi, Stadium, where the USA’s first and third games of the group stage will take place.
Meanwhile, the same at Lumen Field, Seattle, where the US will play Australia, will cost $26.88.