BBC 'spending thousands on riot training for staff' ahead of World Cup

Jack Otway
Sat, 02 May 2026 11:04:47 +0000

Staff heading to this summer's World Cup in North America are being required by the BBC to complete compulsory public order training, with each course costing approximately £750 per participant.

The preparation programme includes realistic role-play exercises where employees simulate confrontational situations, including acting as hostile demonstrators.

Participants have been forewarned that sessions may involve being covered in artificial blood to heighten the realism of potential riot scenarios.

According to the Telegraph, the cumulative expense of this mandatory programme is expected to reach tens of thousands of pounds, ultimately funded by licence-fee payers.

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The broadcaster has implemented these measures ahead of the tournament being hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The training comes against a backdrop of significant unrest in the United States, where violent demonstrations have erupted in response to President Donald Trump's aggressive measures against undocumented migrants.

Just last week, Amnesty International joined forces with numerous civil and human rights organisations to publish a travel warning for World Cup visitors, citing growing authoritarianism and escalating violence connected to mass deportation operations conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The security situation deteriorated further when a gunman attacked the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington days later, marking the third attempt on Trump's life within a two-year period.

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Mexico has also presented considerable safety challenges following a surge of violence earlier this year.
In February, the country experienced widespread unrest after Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the notorious drug cartel boss known as

"El Mencho" and Mexico's most wanted criminal, was killed during a security operation intended to capture him.

The death of the cartel leader triggered a wave of violent incidents across the nation, compounding concerns about the safety of visitors to the tournament's Mexican venues.

These developments across all three host countries have contributed to heightened anxiety surrounding the security environment that broadcasters and their personnel will encounter during the competition.

It's said the measures from the BBC were not a reaction to any single incident, emphasising that properly preparing staff for major events represents standard procedure with comprehensive security protocols in place throughout.

The corporation also stressed its commitment to delivering value for licence-fee payers, a point underscored by its decision to locate the World Cup television studio in Salford rather than the United States, with presenters and pundits remaining there until at least the tournament's closing stages.

ITV, which shares World Cup broadcasting rights with the BBC, reportedly has no intention of implementing comparable intensive training for its staff.

The BBC previously conducted similar preparation ahead of the 2010 South Africa tournament.