England are alert to the risk of a measles outbreak at the World Cup, Daily Mail Sport understands.
The United States is on track for its worst measles eruption in decades this year and the situation has been flagged among other advice to all 48 national teams competing.
However, a report in Germany claiming that FIFA are mandating every player and staff member to be vaccinated is understood to be wide of the mark. Sources indicate that FIFA merely provide advice.
Large measles outbreaks in the USA, Mexico, and Canada are increasingly becoming a ‘concern’ among experts, according to Infectious Disease Special Edition.
Texas, the state in which England play their first game against Croatia on June 17, has been one of the worst-hit areas in the country. This month saw the first recorded cases in Dallas, close to the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, where Thomas Tuchel’s men will play.
However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has only been one recorded case in Missouri, where the Three Lions are staying in an ‘English cottage-style’ hotel on the outskirts of Kansas City.
England are aware of the risk of measles at the World Cup and have received notes off FIFA
Teams are monitoring their stars for infectious diseases and two doses of the MMR vaccine give good protection
Last year, the USA had more cases of measles than in any year since 1991, with 2,144 officially recorded and likely many more unreported.
Startlingly, the figures for 2026 have already almost surpassed that, with 1,952 confirmed measles cases as of May 21, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A typical year in the past quarter of a century would see around 180 cases.
Measles is highly contagious and can remain airborne for up to two hours after an infected person coughs, sneezes, or breathes. In a stadium with tens of thousands of people, the risk of it spreading is acute.
Players can come into contact with supporters in exchanges such as celebrations and giving out shirts after games. Their family and friends are also often present among the crowd.
‘These outbreaks [this year] are far larger than the US has typically seen in recent decades,’ Mark Jit, Chair and Professor of the Department of Global and Environmental Health at New York University, tells Daily Mail Sport.
‘This is worrying because measles isn’t a mild illness – it can cause serious complications and can occasionally be fatal. So an event that brings large numbers of people together in crowded settings is a concern.
‘Measles is one of the most contagious infections we know – it spreads far more easily than flu or Covid for example. If someone with measles was in a crowded stadium, there’s a very good chance that they could infect other unvaccinated people nearby.
England are preparing to make their World Cup base at the charming The Inn at Meadowbrook
Thomas Tuchel may wish to gather his squad for lakeside chats at the picturesque complex near Kansas City
‘My understanding is that World Cup teams are monitoring their players closely for different infectious diseases, so a measles case will likely be picked up quite soon. The challenge is that someone with measles could spread the virus to others before they get a rash.
‘The good news is that two doses of the MMR vaccine give very good protection against measles. No vaccine is perfect, but if the entire squad is fully vaccinated, the risk of a team-wide outbreak is extremely low.’
Daily Mail Sport is not privy to the vaccination status of England’s players, but UK government figures suggest that 84.4 per cent of children receive two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine by age five.
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This is below the World Health Organization herd immunity threshold of 95 per cent.
The UK lost its measles-free status in 2018 and the USA is at risk of losing it too, according to a report in The Lancet, a medical journal.
Symptoms typically appear seven to 14 days after exposure but can take up to 21 days to develop. Early signs include high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash that begins on the face and spreads downward.
Unvaccinated people who are exposed to the virus may need to quarantine for 21 days.
The MMR vaccine remains the most effective protection against measles. Two doses are 97 percent effective at preventing infection.
Public health experts emphasize that achieving 95 percent vaccination coverage community-wide is necessary to maintain herd immunity and stop the virus from spreading.
Measles can be caught at any age and prove fatal. Complications include blindness, deafness and swelling of the brain (encephalitis).
The rise in outbreaks comes alongside that of Ebola, which the World Health Organisation has declared to be a ‘public health emergency of international concern’.
The WHO say the death rate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is between 30 and 50 per cent.
