Belgians passed a security check on the tarmac after their victory in Atlanta: an unusual scene ahead of the World Cup
During their spring preparations in the United States of America, the Belgian national football team experienced a situation that attracted almost as much attention as the result of the friendly match against the U.S. national team. After Belgium's 5:2 victory in Atlanta, the players and members of the coaching staff had to, according to photographs by the Belga agency published via Alamy and reports by France's CNEWS, undergo a security check directly on the airport tarmac, shortly before boarding a plane to Chicago. According to the available information, the check took place a few metres from the aircraft and included an inspection of documents, personal belongings and footwear. It has not been reported that anyone from the Belgian delegation was arrested, formally detained or accused of any offence. Precisely for that reason, the scenes of footballers waiting in line in the open area of the airport triggered numerous reactions and opened a broader discussion about the organisational and security procedures that will accompany the 2026 World Cup.
Check before the flight to Chicago
The incident took place on 29 March 2026, the day after the match between the United States and Belgium at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. According to the description of the photographs by Belga News Agency, the Belgian national team was then travelling to Chicago for a second warm-up match in the U.S. The recorded scenes show players and staff members on the tarmac of Atlanta airport as they go through checks before boarding. France's CNEWS reported that the players had to approach security personnel individually, and that the checks included the inspection of passports, bags and footwear. The published information does not indicate that the procedure was directed at any individual player or that the Belgian national team was the subject of a criminal investigation.
According to the same reports, the Belgian delegation did not pass through the usual passenger terminal but was brought close to the aircraft, which is common for sports delegations, official delegations and charter flights. Still, avoiding terminal queues did not mean being exempt from a security check. American personnel carried out the inspection outdoors, in an area passengers generally do not associate with classic airport control. Such a sight was unusual enough to spread quickly on social networks, especially because the players included well-known internationals such as Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Loïs Openda and other members of Rudi Garcia's squad.
According to publicly available information, U.S. services have not issued a specific statement explaining in detail why the check was carried out precisely on the tarmac. It is therefore necessary to distinguish what has been confirmed from the interpretations that appeared after the photographs were published. It has been confirmed that the Belgian national team underwent a security check before the flight from Atlanta to Chicago. It has not been officially confirmed that this was a special measure linked exclusively to the Belgian national team, nor that it was an extraordinary security incident. Based on the available data, the most precise description is an unusually visible implementation of a security procedure, not an arrest or detention.
The sporting part of the trip began with a convincing victory
The match that preceded the uncomfortable airport scene was played on 28 March 2026 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. In its official report, the U.S. Soccer Federation stated that the United States took the lead in the 39th minute through a goal by Weston McKennie, but Belgium turned the match around before the end and won 5:2. For the Belgian national team, the goals were scored by Zeno Debast, Amadou Onana, Charles De Ketelaere from the penalty spot and Dodi Lukebakio, who scored twice. For the home team, Patrick Agyemang scored the second goal near the end of the match. According to the official U.S. Soccer report, the match was played in front of 66,867 spectators.
Belgium played in Atlanta as one of the national teams that were already preparing for the tournament in North America. The match against the U.S. had particular importance because the home national team is one of the three hosts of the 2026 World Cup, together with Canada and Mexico. For Rudi Garcia's team, the match was an opportunity to test itself against an opponent that will play in front of a home crowd, while for the U.S. national team it was an important test ahead of the final phase of preparations. The sporting impression, however, was very quickly overshadowed by photographs and footage of the security check at the airport.
Belgium continued from Atlanta to Chicago, where on 31 March 2026 it played Mexico at Soldier Field. According to UEFA's record of the friendly match, that encounter ended 1:1, with Jorge Sánchez scoring for Mexico and Dodi Lukebakio for Belgium. Belgium's American tour therefore had a clear competitive purpose: two tests against national teams from the region that will host the World Cup and adaptation to the travel, stadiums, logistics and conditions awaiting the tournament participants. That is precisely why the airport episode attracted additional attention, because it showed that preparations do not concern only the pitch.
Why the scene caused so many reactions
National football teams at major competitions regularly move according to pre-established security protocols. Travel is planned in cooperation with organisers, airports, police, private security and local authorities. However, fans and the public rarely see the operational part of those procedures as directly as in the case of the Belgian national team in Atlanta. For that reason, the photographs from the runway appeared, on the one hand, like a routine security measure, and on the other, like an unexpected and somewhat unpleasant scene for professional athletes who were on an official trip.
Reactions on social networks were further fuelled by the fact that the 2026 World Cup will be held in an exceptionally large format. FIFA states that 48 national teams will participate in the tournament for the first time and that 104 matches will be played in 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Such a scale of competition means that national teams, referees, officials, media and fans will cover long distances and repeatedly enter different security and transport systems. In that context, even an apparently isolated airport scene acquired broader significance, because it served as a reminder of how important logistics will be as part of the tournament.
It is important to emphasise that strict checks in themselves are not unusual in international air traffic, especially when it comes to the travel of official delegations and major sporting events. What was unusual was the way they were carried out, namely the fact that the players were being checked in an open area, in front of the aircraft and in front of photographers' lenses. Such a procedure may look harsher to passengers than standard control in a terminal, although it does not necessarily mean that the security risk was greater. Because of the absence of a detailed official explanation, the public debate remained mostly at the level of impression and comparison with the expected procedures for the World Cup.
The World Cup brings an exceptional security challenge
The security context ahead of the 2026 World Cup is much broader than one event in Atlanta. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP, stated in its official information for travellers that, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies, it is participating in preparations for the safe and efficient movement of athletes, officials, fans and visitors during the tournament. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence of the U.S. previously announced that it would work with the White House and federal, state, local and international partners on the safety of visitors, athletes, officials and host cities. Ahead of the start of the tournament, the Associated Press assessed that a World Cup with 48 teams and 104 matches represents an unprecedented security challenge for organisers.
Such preparations include several layers of security. In practice, this means checks at stadiums, protection of hotels and training bases, monitoring of traffic corridors, coordination of airports, cybersecurity, risk assessments and cooperation among different services. For national teams, this may mean a greater number of checks on arrivals and departures, a stricter movement regime around airports and stadiums, and less room for improvisation in travel schedules. For fans, this means that entry into the U.S., Canada or Mexico does not come down only to having a match ticket, but also to meeting travel requirements, visa rules and security checks applied by the host countries.
According to official information from the U.S. State Department, foreign visitors from countries included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program may use an approved ESTA authorisation for tourist travel, while fans from other countries must have a valid B1/B2 visitor visa. The State Department also emphasises that possessing a match ticket does not automatically guarantee the issuance of a visa or entry into the U.S., because standard screening rules continue to apply. On its official World Cup page, CBP instructed travellers to check passport, visa, ESTA, visa waiver programme and entry record requirements before departure. These rules do not apply only to fans, but fans are the group that will encounter them on the largest scale.
Atlanta as one of the key points of the tournament
Atlanta will play an important role during the World Cup. FIFA states that Atlanta Stadium, as Mercedes-Benz Stadium will officially be called during the tournament, will host eight matches, including one semi-final. This means the city will not be merely one of the stopover locations, but one of the centres of the final stage of the tournament. The match between the U.S. and Belgium in March therefore also had an organisational dimension: it was played at a stadium that in a few months will welcome national teams and fans from different parts of the world. Everything that happened around that match, from security procedures to the travel of national teams, could also be viewed as a test for a much bigger event.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is also an important part of that picture because it is the city's main airport and one of the key transport gateways to the southeastern part of the United States. The airport's official website states that Hartsfield-Jackson serves more than 150 destinations in the U.S. and more than 70 international destinations in 43 countries. Such a role means that during the World Cup the airport will be exposed to additional pressure, especially on match days and during the closing stages of the tournament. Taking into account the number of matches in Atlanta and the city's status as a semi-final host, it is clear why security and passenger flow are viewed as one of the key organisational issues.
The Belgian episode on the tarmac does not necessarily mean that every arrival of a national team or fans will look similar. Still, it shows that checks may be applied in the U.S. that are less common, or at least less visible, for European sports delegations. For organisers, the challenge is to find a balance between security, dignified treatment of participants and the efficient movement of a large number of people. For national teams, the message is clear: logistics, documentation and adapting to security rules will be just as important as the training schedule, player recovery and preparation for opponents.
An inconvenience without an officially confirmed affair
Although the photographs from Atlanta generated great interest, for now there are no elements suggesting a more serious affair. According to the available information, after the inspection the Belgian national team continued its journey to Chicago and played the next friendly match against Mexico. It has not been reported that anyone from the delegation missed the flight because of the check, nor that the procedure had disciplinary or legal consequences. In that sense, the case can be described as an uncomfortable and unusually public security check, not as an incident that disrupted the team's sporting programme.
For Belgium, the American tour remained part of the final preparations for the World Cup, where, according to FIFA's official schedule, it plays its first match on 15 June 2026 against Egypt in Seattle. After that come the Group G matches against Iran in Los Angeles and New Zealand in Vancouver. Those fixtures themselves show how much national teams will have to travel between host cities and countries. In such a system, even smaller logistical delays can become a problem, so the case from Atlanta remains a reminder that the 2026 World Cup will be just as demanding off the pitch as on it.
Sources:
- Belga News Agency / Alamy Live News – photographic description of the security check of the Belgian national team on the tarmac of Atlanta airport on 29 March 2026. (link)
- CNEWS – report on the security check of Belgian footballers on the tarmac of Atlanta airport. (link)
- U.S. Soccer – official report and data from the U.S. and Belgium friendly match in Atlanta. (link)
- UEFA – record of the Mexico – Belgium friendly match at Soldier Field in Chicago. (link)
- FIFA – official 2026 World Cup schedule, groups, host cities and matches. (link)
- FIFA – official page of the host city of Atlanta and information on matches at Atlanta Stadium. (link)
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection – official information for travellers coming to the FIFA World Cup 2026. (link)
- U.S. Department of State – official visa information for travellers to the FIFA World Cup 2026. (link)
- Associated Press – report on the security challenges of organising the 2026 World Cup. (link)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – official information about the airport and international destinations. (link)