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Coalition calls for upcoming FIFA presidential election to centre human rights\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The 2026 Men\u2019s World Cup exposed a failure of FIFA\u2019s leadership to implement its own human rights policies, with the pursuit of record revenues prioritised over fairness and equality, the Sport & Rights Alliance<\/a> and Football Supporters Europe<\/a> said in a joint report released today. The 50-page report, \u201cProfit Over People: The 2026 FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup,\u201d<\/em><\/a> documents a tournament marked by a climate of fear given the backdrop of mass immigration detentions and deportations; discriminatory visa bans; cost and accessibility barriers for fans, players and journalists; unclear safeguarding and eligibility standards; and lack of effective access to remedy.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe 2026 World Cup exposed how the priorities and direction set by FIFA\u2019s leadership put profit over people,\u201d said Andrea Florence<\/a>, Executive Director of the Sport & Rights Alliance<\/a>. \u201cFor everyone touched by the tournament, access and participation were limited by economic status, nationality, immigration status, disability, gender identity and sexual orientation or political circumstance. Not only did FIFA fail to use its leverage to uphold human rights obligations, it chose to lift up a government that is actively violating human rights by awarding an unvetted \u2018FIFA Peace Prize\u2019 to U.S. President Donald Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n As a 48-nation, 104-match tournament hosted for the first time in three countries \u2013 Canada, Mexico, and the United States \u2013 the 2026 Men\u2019s World Cup was the biggest mega sporting event in history, and one that, as FIFA promised<\/a> would be a tournament where everyone \u201cfeels safe, included and free to exercise their rights.\u201d The tournament was the first World Cup to be hosted under FIFA\u2019s recognition and adoption of international business and human rights obligations, through its 2017 Human Rights Policy, integration of human rights criteria in the bidding process, and a dedicated \u201cFWC26 Human Rights Framework\u201d for 16 local host committees. Yet due to rising concerns about potential human rights abuses at the tournament, over 65,000 people<\/a> joined Amnesty International\u2019s call for FIFA and host nations to address risks and guarantee a World Cup for everyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n ICE raids surged, protests were blocked and discriminatory visa policies kept many fans from enjoying what was billed as \u2018the most inclusive World Cup ever\u2019.<\/p>\n Frank Conde Tangberg, Policy Advisor at Amnesty International<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cThe unity and joy we saw on the pitch and in the stands were a world away from the fear and division beyond the stadiums. ICE raids surged, protests were blocked and discriminatory visa policies kept many fans from enjoying what was billed as \u2018the most inclusive World Cup ever\u2019,\u201d said Frank Conde Tangberg<\/a>, Policy Advisor at Amnesty International<\/a>. \u201cMany of these violations stemmed from repressive and abusive government policies, but FIFA failed to use its leverage to protect fans and local communities. It spent its political capital on maximising revenue rather than standing up for human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n The report details how excessive ticket pricing, coupled with expensive visa requirements and a lack of affordable inter-city transport, as well as U.S. travel restrictions on over 39 nations<\/a>, disproportionately excluded fans with disabilities, with limited incomes and\/or from the Global South. Participating teams and officials faced severe disruptions: members of the Iranian national team had U.S. visas delayed or denied, and for two U.S. matches the team had to enter and depart the country on the same day \u2013 while Somali referee Omar Artan, despite having a valid visa, was denied entry at Miami International Airport following an 11-hour interrogation. These and other barriers unfolded alongside aggressive U.S. immigration enforcement, with, as Human Rights Watch documented, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducting over 167,000 arrests<\/a> in and around 11 World Cup host cities leading up to the tournament. Although reporting of ICE detentions inside World Cup venues was limited, enforcement surged during the tournament, including over five days in late June when approximately 10,000 people were arrested<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cSupporters were treated as objects to be exploited rather than the heart of the game,\u201d said Ronan Evain<\/a>, Executive Director of Football Supporters Europe<\/a>. \u201cWhen ticket prices are at the highest in World Cup history, legal accessibility requirements for fans with disabilities are ignored, and dedicated supporters face discriminatory visa rejections or militarized border enforcement, you no longer have a global celebration \u2013 just an exclusive, sanitized spectacle meant only for the elite.\u201d<\/p>\n The report also documents other human rights abuses in Mexico, where police confronted planned protests with tear gas and detained two journalists<\/a>. In Canada, preparations were marked by street sweeps displacing unhoused residents in host cities \u2013\u00a0and immigration authorities rejected more World Cup visa applications, which came mostly from Global South applicants, than they approved. Within FIFA\u2019s direct control, questions remain about whether FIFA failed to enforce its own in-competition policy explicitly requiring athletes to declare they have never been investigated for a sexual or other violent offence, given that at least eight players<\/a> facing pending sexual assault cases or allegations competed in the 2026 World Cup. Independent journalism was also severely constrained by FIFA\u2019s opaque media accreditation processes, U.S. visa barriers, and a lack of regular press conferences with top leadership.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn recent years, the U.S. \u2013 the country hosting the majority of World Cup matches \u2013 fell from 45th to 64th in our Press Freedom Index, and journalists have faced violence, detention, and deportation,\u201d said Clayton Weimers<\/a>, Executive Director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) USA<\/a>. \u201cYet FIFA\u2019s lack of clarity on media accreditation, coordination with visa processes, and blas\u00e9 attitude toward media briefings underscored FIFA\u2019s failures to uphold human rights. On top of this, FIFA\u2019s continued lack of advertising for its grievance mechanism for journalists, players, fans, workers and community members means we don\u2019t know the true extent of the harm.\u201d<\/p>\n FIFA is in clear need of systemic governance reform that embeds human rights and good governance into leadership and decision-making structures, provides an independent system of checks and balances, and ensures meaningful accountability when its commitments are not met.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe lesson of the 2026 World Cup is not that international sporting bodies can guarantee the conduct of sovereign governments, but that human rights risks must shape how tournaments are awarded, planned, contracted, monitored, and delivered \u2013 and that top leadership at FIFA and other sport governing bodies must be prepared to act, especially when circumstances change,\u201d said Florence.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n