Amnesty International has urged the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), national football associations, and tournament sponsors to ensure that human rights are respected during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to take place in Canada, Mexico, and the United States beginning June 11.
The rights group highlighted ongoing “acute human rights crises” in the host countries. In the United States, Amnesty cited abuses by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, noting operations involving armed agents conducting warrantless home raids, arbitrary arrests, and detentions, with 43 reported deaths in ICE custody between January 2025 and March 2026. The group also emphasized the 500,000 deportations that occurred in 2025 and the deputization of local law enforcement in World Cup host cities, raising concerns about ethnic profiling and safety for visiting fans.
Amnesty also warned of deteriorating press freedom in the U.S. and Mexico, citing deportations of journalists and killings of reporters in Mexico during 2025. In addition, the organization raised concerns over restrictions on peaceful assembly, including the revocation of student visas in the U.S. and the establishment of “exclusion zones” for protests in Canada.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup projected to generate $11 billion, Amnesty International stressed that all host nations must uphold international human rights obligations for fans, players, journalists, workers, and local communities to ensure a safe and lawful tournament.
