The FIFA World Cup

Check out the latest research and analysis from Sport & Rights Alliance partners on the human rights risks and impacts connected to FIFA World Cup events.

FIFA Men’s World Cup Qatar 2022

In 2022, Qatar will host the FIFA Men’s World Cup – an historic moment as it will be the first time the tournament has ever been held in the Middle East. Scores of football stadiums and other facilities are being built for this event by migrant workers. Their working conditions are brutal, rife with coercion and […]

KAZAKHSTAN: candidate 2026 World Cup Football

Kazakhstan is candidate for hosting the World Cup Football in 2026. The human rights record of the country is poor. Beautiful words cover up bad practices: Kazakhstan “will not rest until torture is completely eliminated”, the government announced. But torture is still taking place. The freedom of expression, association and assembly are restricted. Peaceful protesters […]

World Cup Soccer Balls: Exploitation Still the Norm

As the frenzy grows over the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa, there is a part of the World Cup that won’t be broadcast on TV. The Play Fair Alliance today asked FIFA to respond to the report “Missed the Goal for Workers: the Reality of Soccer Ball Stitchers”, released by US-based NGO International […]

Sport & Rights Alliance Backs Human Rights Advisory Board Call for FIFA to be Accountable on Human Rights

(Nyon, Switzerland, April 14, 2020) — FIFA should back its  2017 Human Rights Policy by ensuring accountability, transparency and remedy at the highest levels of football, a landmark report by FIFA’s independent human rights advisory board has recommended. This recommendation has the full endorsement of the Sport & Rights Alliance – a coalition of non-governmental organizations and […]