️ Amnesty International has stated that the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2026, to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will take place during an “acute human rights crisis” and pose significant risks to traveling fans, local communities, and tournament workers. In a report released on Monday, the rights group outlined the threats faced by millions of local and international football fans traveling for the six-week tournament.
️ The report notes that the United States, where three-quarters of World Cup matches will be held, is facing a “human rights emergency” and a recognizable pattern of authoritarian practices. The scathing report was released 10 weeks ahead of the tournament amid immigration crackdowns, protest restrictions, and deaths at the hands of US law enforcement officials. Amnesty International said that although FIFA had judged the World Cup to be a “medium risk” tournament, it could become a “stage for repression and a platform for authoritarian practices.”
️ The report details that at least six people have died in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2026, with a seventh fatally shot by an off-duty ICE officer. Last year, 32 deaths were reported in ICE custody. While most deaths were due to health complications, some families of deceased detainees have accused authorities of abuse and medical neglect. The acting director of ICE said last month that the agency will be “a key part of the overall security apparatus for the World Cup.”
️ The London-based Amnesty urged FIFA and World Cup host countries to take urgent action to protect fans, players, journalists, workers, and local communities. FIFA has promised a tournament where everyone “feels safe, included and free to exercise their rights.” But Amnesty said incidents of forced protest shutdowns, gender bias, indiscriminate raids, ethnic profiling, arbitrary arrests, mass detention, cartel violence, and unlawful deportations paint a different picture of the host nations.
️ The report accused the United States, which will host 78 of the 104 tournament fixtures, of closing civic space while dehumanizing and criminalizing marginalized people under the administration of President Donald Trump. “The administration has aggressively advanced an anti-migrant, anti-refugee agenda, subjecting migrants, asylum seekers and refugees to a litany of human rights violations,” the report said. Amnesty also raised concerns over the Trump administration’s visa ban for nationals of 12 countries, four of which have qualified for the World Cup, stating that “blanket bans target individuals based on their race, religion, nationality and focus on countries with predominantly Black, Brown and Muslim-majority populations, constituting racial discrimination under human rights law.”
️ Mexico, which will host the opening game, faces internal issues following a wave of violence triggered on February 23 after the killing of a drug lord leading one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations. Gunmen torched cars and blocked highways in more than half a dozen states immediately after the news. Mexican officials thereafter sought to assure FIFA authorities and potential travelers of the tournament’s safety. In addition to warning of potential violence, Amnesty’s report noted that a movement of women—mothers seeking truth, justice, and remedy for the country’s 133,500 disappeared people—is planning a peaceful protest outside the opening match at Banorte Stadium in Mexico City.
️ Meanwhile, in Canada, fears exist that people experiencing homelessness will be displaced amid a growing housing crisis. Amnesty’s report also pointed to “violence and harassment” against the LGBTQ community. The report further criticized President Trump, who was awarded the newly created FIFA Peace Prize in December 2025, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino praising Trump. Infantino, a close ally of Trump, had made it clear that he believed the US president should have won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to broker a ceasefire in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. “This is your prize, this is your peace prize,” Infantino said at the glitzy, celebrity-studded ceremony.
️ But Amnesty said the Trump administration has “actively sought to dismantle and defund existing systems of international cooperation, committed an act of aggression in Venezuela, launched air strikes that constitute extrajudicial executions in Latin America and initiated, jointly with Israel, large-scale attacks against Iran—killing civilians as well as putting the country’s participation in the tournament in doubt.” Amnesty noted that none of the published US host city plans address how fans or local communities will be protected from ICE operations.
️ The global football governing body, heavily criticized for its decision to present the award to Trump, stands to earn $11 billion from the tournament cycle. “While FIFA generates record revenues from the 2026 World Cup, fans, communities, players, journalists and workers cannot be made to pay the price,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s head of economic and social justice. “It is these people—not governments, sponsors or FIFA—to whom football belongs, and their rights must be at the centre of the tournament.” The World Cup kicks off on June 11 at Mexico City Stadium, with the final scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA.
Source: www.aljazeera.com