World Cup match days are expected to draw big crowds into and through San Mateo County, and local officials want your phone plugged into their alert system before the first whistle blows. The county is urging residents and visitors to sign up for emergency notifications that will flag transit shifts, road closures and any public-safety updates tied to game traffic.
How To Get County Alerts
The county’s official notification system, SMC Alert, can send texts, emails and automated voice calls to devices connected to addresses you choose. According to the San Mateo County Department of Emergency Management, sign-up at SMCAlert.info is free and opt-in, and officials recommend adding both home and work locations so messages can be geotargeted. The county also notes that standard carrier text charges may apply.
Text FIFA26 For Temporary World Cup Notices
For the World Cup period, the county has set up a short-term option aimed at people who are just passing through. Visitors can text the word FIFA26 to 67283 to receive temporary, location-based alerts while they are in San Mateo County. That instruction appears in a county social post from the County of San Mateo. Officials say the FIFA26 keyword is meant for visitors and is separate from a full SMC Alert registration.
What Travelers Should Expect Around The Bay
Regional planners say fans should match their alert feed to the route they will actually travel. Santa Clara County’s planning page points World Cup traffic toward San Mateo alerts if trips will involve Highway 101, Highway 280, San Francisco International Airport, Caltrain, BART or SamTrans.
Per guidance from VTA, transit agencies including Caltrain and VTA are preparing extra post-match and return service and are urging riders to check operator schedules for game-day changes. The airport has created its own World Cup resources and traveler guidance, according to the San Francisco International Airport.
County officials say that if you will be in San Mateo County for matches, or traveling through SFO or on Caltrain, enrolling in SMC Alert and using the temporary FIFA26 text option will be the quickest way to get county-targeted notices on match days.
-2.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)