World Cup 2026: FIFA Needs to Act on Human Rights
WASHINGTON 鈥 FIFA, the international soccer governing body, needs to match its lofty rhetoric on rights with concrete action, a coalition of human rights organizations, trade unions, and fans groups said today. FIFA is holding its World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington on December 5, 2025, and awarding its first 鈥淔IFA Peace Prize.鈥
The Sport & Rights Alliance, Dignity 2026, ACLU, AFL-CIO, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Independent Supporters Council, NAACP, Athlete Ally and Reporters Without Borders have come together to press FIFA to deliver a World Cup that respects the rights of fans, players, workers, journalists, and local communities.
The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, represents an opportunity to implement a new model for FIFA events鈥攐ne that supports strong workers鈥 protections, safeguards children鈥檚 rights, upholds media freedom, and ensures that working people and communities benefit from hosting this mega-sporting event, the groups said.
鈥淲orkers, athletes, fans, and communities make the World Cup possible,鈥 said Andrea Florence, executive director of the Sport & Rights Alliance. 鈥淭he 2026 World Cup is the first to begin with human rights criteria embedded in the bidding process. But the deteriorating human rights situation in the United States has put those commitments at risk.鈥
With 200 days until kickoff, the escalating attacks on immigrants in the United States, FIFA鈥檚 cancellation of anti-discrimination messaging, and threats to press freedom and the rights of peaceful protesters signal a tournament heading in the wrong direction, the human rights and labor groups said.
There has ben no transparency around FIFA鈥檚 Peace Prize process. Human Rights Watch has written to FIFA to request a list of the nominees, the judges, the criteria, and the process for the Peace Prize. Human Rights Watch received no response.
鈥淔IFA鈥檚 so-called peace prize is being awarded against a backdrop of violent detentions of immigrants, national guard deployments in US cities, and the obsequious cancellation of FIFA鈥檚 own anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns,鈥 said Minky Worden, who oversees sport for Human Rights Watch. 鈥淭here is still time to honor FIFA鈥檚 promises for a World Cup not tainted by human rights abuses, but the clock is ticking.鈥
鈥淭he Trump administration has aggressively pursued a systematic anti-human rights campaign to target, detain, and disappear immigrants in communities across the US 鈥 including the deployment of the National Guard in cities where the World Cup will take place,鈥 said Jamil Dakwar, human rights director at the ACLU. 鈥淔IFA鈥檚 own policy states that they will leverage their business relationships to mitigate adverse human rights impacts 鈥 and it鈥檚 critical that they wield that influence to end rights violations including freedom of speech and assembly rights. We call on FIFA to honor its human rights commitments, not capitulate to Trump鈥檚 authoritarianism.鈥
As part of FIFA鈥檚 human rights framework for the 2026 World Cup, each of the 16 host cities is required to develop its own 鈥渉uman rights action plan鈥 to prevent discrimination, support workers鈥 rights, protet chldren, and combat human trafficking.
Human Rights Watch, along with the Sport & Rights Alliance, Dignity 2026, and their member organizations, are calling on FIFA and host committees to:
Reinstate anti-discrimination messaging;
Commit to ensuring effective protections against racial profiling, arbitrary detention, and unlawful immigration enforcement during the tournament;
Work closely with community partners on finalizing the Human Rights Action Plans;
Take effective steps to ensure respect for the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest;
Announce and implement a comprehensive Child Safeguarding Policy;
Ensure meaningful community benefit from the 2026 World Cup; and
Take effective steps to ensure that the 2026 World Cup does not lead to abuses of vulnerable communities, including the jailing of unhoused populations.
Quotes from civil society experts are as follows:
"The 2026 World Cup is an opportunity to show that mega-sporting events can be delivered without exploiting workers," said Cathy Feingold, international director at the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), and International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) deputy president. "From stadium construction to match day operations, workers at every level deserve fair wages, safe conditions, and the right to organize. FIFA cannot claim to celebrate peace while ignoring the conditions of the people who make these games possible. We need binding commitments, not just promises."
鈥淓very four years, billions of people turn their attention to the World Cup and its host countries,鈥 said Clayton Weimers, executive director, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) USA. 鈥淭hey rely on journalists to deliver reliable information with appropriate context to tell the story of this tournament both on and off the field. Unfortunately, journalists in the US are seeing their access restricted, their visas threatened, and their safety put into question. FIFA and the host governments must guarantee the freedom and safety of journalists before, during, and after the 2026 World Cup.鈥
鈥淎ttending a soccer match should never result in arbitrary detention or deportation," said Daniel Noro帽a, Americas advocacy director, Amnesty International USA. "The threat of immigration enforcement at Club World Cup venues is deeply troubling, and FIFA cannot be silent. FIFA must obtain binding guarantees from US authorities that the tournament will be a safe space for all, regardless of immigration status.鈥
鈥淔IFA's decision to cancel anti-racism and anti-discrimination messaging at the Club World Cup sent a chilling signal to communities of color and all who have fought for equality in sport,鈥 said Jamal Watkins, senior vice president of strategy and advancement, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). 鈥淎t a time when hate crimes are rising and DEI programs are under attack, FIFA should not be retreating.鈥
鈥淎s an out athlete, I know what it means to compete in environments where you're not sure you'll be safe,鈥 said Matthew Pacifici, former men's professional player in the US and Athlete Ally ambassador. 鈥淟GBTQ+ players and fans need more than symbolic gestures鈥攚e need enforceable protections. The homophobic chants at the Club World Cup in Atlanta show exactly why FIFA's retreat from anti-discrimination messaging is so dangerous. Players and fans must know that FIFA will protect them, not abandon them.鈥
鈥淪upporters are the backbone of this sport, yet FIFA keeps making decisions about our safety without ever talking to the people who actually show up,鈥 said Bailey Brown, president, Independent Supporters Council. 鈥淵ou cannot claim to 'unite the world' while shutting out the very fans who bring the energy and passion to every match. We鈥檙e asking for something simple: transparency, real consultation, and concrete protections for every supporter at the 2026 World Cup.鈥
鈥淚t is unacceptable that FIFA has no child safeguarding policy for the 2026 World Cup,鈥 said Katherine La Puente, children鈥檚 rights coordinator at Human Rights Watch. 鈥淩isks children can face in the context of major sporting events include trafficking, sexual exploitation, child labor, and family displacements, among other forms of violence and abuse.鈥
鈥淔or the World Cup to truly 'unite the world,' both FIFA and host committees need to ensure that the rights and dignity of everyone, whether residents or visitors, are protected and not exploited,鈥 said Jennifer Li, coordinator of Dignity 2026 and director of the Center for Community Health Innovation at Georgetown Law. 鈥淔or example, people who are unsheltered should not be criminalized for their status or displaced as part of so-called beautification efforts. FIFA and host cities have a responsibility to ensure that hosting communities benefit from this event, and that the most vulnerable residents do not bear the greatest costs.鈥