Ready for Every Match, On and Off the Pitch

Why World Cup host communities should make naloxone part of public safety planning before the first whistle

A FIFA World Cup match is built on preparation long before the first whistle. Teams study the opponent. Staff plan for injuries. Venues prepare for crowds, weather, transportation, security and medical needs and the pressure that comes when thousands of people move through the same place at the same time. 

Host communities prepare the same way. The World Cup will bring full stadiums, crowded streets, packed restaurants, busy hotels, late nights, transit surges and public watch parties. That energy is what makes the tournament extraordinary. It is also what makes planning essential. 

Overdose emergencies can happen inside that same match day reality, often far from the pitch and without warning. They can happen before kickoff, after the final whistle or in the places where fans gather, travel and celebrate. When breathing slows or stops, the first few minutes matter. Naloxone gives people nearby a way to act before it is too late. 

That is the lens the Global Health Advocacy Incubator’s (GHAI) Overdose Prevention Initiative brings to FIFA World Cup preparedness. Our message is simple: naloxone belongs in that same plan. 

Not as a separate public health project. Not as an endorsement of drug use. As emergency preparedness, the same standard applied when placing AEDs, staffing first aid stations or training workers to respond when someone collapses. 

Overdose emergencies do not wait for a convenient moment. They can happen before kickoff, after the final whistle or far from the pitch in hotels, restaurants, bathrooms, parking lots, nightlife districts, transit areas and fan zones. In those first few minutes, the people nearby may matter most. Naloxone gives them something lifesaving to do. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that naloxone can restore normal breathing within two to three minutes when someone’s breathing has slowed or stopped because of an opioid overdose. CDC guidance also notes that responders should call 911, give naloxone if available, keep the person awake and breathing, place them on their side to prevent choking and stay with them until emergency help arrives.  

The urgency is real and ongoing. CDC’s preliminary data reported 68,632 drug overdose deaths in the United States for the 12 months ending in December 2025, a 15.1% decline from the previous year. That decline reflects genuine progress, but nearly 70,000 deaths in a single year is not a victory lap, it’s not the goal. It is a warning not to pull back from the tools that help keep people alive.  

GHAI developed practical, easy-to-follow resources and outreach guidance to help partners educate planning committees, venue operators, hotels, restaurants, hospitality groups and public safety teams, all with the same goal: overdose response built into match day readiness before the first whistle. 

The strongest plans account for what everyone hopes will happen and what no one wants to face. World Cup planning involves dozens of agencies, vendors and frontline workers. A useful plan cannot live only in a binder. It has to work at a hotel front desk, a restaurant manager station, a stadium guest services post, a medical tent, a crowded transit hub and with emergency management and security teams. Overdose response depends on that same level of coordination.  

Before match day, every host community should be able to answer four questions: 

• Where is naloxone located? 
• Who knows how to use it? 
• Who calls 911? 
• Who restocks it after use? 

These questions are not about assuming risk in any particular crowd, venue or neighborhood. They are about applying the same standard used for every major event: clear plans, trained people and the right tools in the right places before an emergency happens. 

Making naloxone available does not permit drug use any more than having fire extinguishers permits fires. It acknowledges reality. It protects workers, fans, visitors, residents, families and strangers. It helps prevent one preventable loss from becoming part of a community’s World Cup memory. 

The World Cup will bring high moments, ones communities have worked years to earn. Host communities should be ready for those. They should also be ready for the hard ones, when seconds matter and someone nearby can still save a life. 

That is what it means to protect every match, on and off the pitch.