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2026 World Cup: Tournament Will Kick Off in Climate of Fear
‘Reporters’ Guide’ Outlines ICE Threats, Press Freedom Risks, Unmet FIFA Commitments (Berlin) – The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is unfolding against a backdrop of abusive immigration enforcement in the United States, new threats to media freedom, discrimination, and unmet human rights commitments by FIFA and host cities, Human Rights Watch said today, releasing a “Reporters’ Guide” […]
“Do it well and do it deeply”: Navigating Safe Sport Entities
Workshop Recap: Recent Advances and Challenges in Safe Sport Entities On March 23rd, the Athletes Network for Safer Sports held an online workshop exploring the development of ‘safe sport entities’ – organizations designed to address harassment and abuse in sport. Featuring Alison Quigley, survivor of abuse in gymnastics, safe sport advocate, researcher and founder of […]
World Cup: 2 Months Out, FIFA and Host Cities Sideline Rights
Missing Host City ‘Human Rights Action Plans’ Underscore Lack of Protections (New York) – World Cup city host committees and FIFA have fallen short on the steps needed to protect players and fans, Human Rights Watch said today, with the tournament two months away. All but one of the host city committees have either failed to present […]
2025 Annual Report: Shifting the Power of Sport
Impacted People are Leading the Way “Looking back at our collective work and impact in 2025, one message is clear: policies are being put to the test, and the world of sport is being called to rise to the occasion,” reflects Andrea Florence, executive director of the Sport & Rights Alliance. “While multi-billion dollar organizations […]
Global: FIFA and World Cup hosts must prevent tournament becoming a threat to fans and communities
Millions of football fans attending the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA risk coming face to face with troubling attacks on human rights, not least those stemming from abusive and deadly US immigration policies, Amnesty International said today. The human rights organization warned that severe restrictions on freedom of expression […]
Humanity Must Win: Defending Rights, Tackling Repression at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
On 11 June 2026, the largest and most lucrative FIFA World Cup in history will begin. Millions of fans will travel to Canada, Mexico and the USA, while billions more watch from home. This World Cup is taking place amidst an acute human rights crisis. With just weeks to go until kick-off, FIFA’s claim that […]
Failures in Brazilian Football Expose Culture of Misogyny and Abuse
Persistent risks for women and children in Brazilian sport (Sao Paulo, March 6, 2026) — Ahead of this year’s International Women’s Day, renewed attention must be paid to the persistent risks facing women and children in the world of sports. Nowhere is this more pertinent than in Brazil, set to host the 2027 FIFA Women’s […]
FIFA’s Ticketing Policy is Excluding Fans With Disabilities From the 2026 World Cup
On 15 December, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) and its Disability & Inclusion Fan Network wrote to FIFA President Gianni Infantino to condemn FIFA’s accessible ticket pricing for the 2026 World Cup, which is effectively excluding supporters with disabilities from the tournament. FIFA has restricted accessibility tickets for National Team fans (PMA allocation) to Categories 1–3, […]
FIFA World Cup 2026: BWI Concludes First Official Visit to the BBVA Stadium in Monterrey, Mexico
As part of the new BWI–FIFA Cooperation Agreement, the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) conducted an official mission to Monterrey on 25 and 27 November, one of the three Mexican host cities of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup in North America. The BWI delegation included representatives from its Mexican affiliate CIT, Unite the […]
World Cup 2026: FIFA Needs to Act on Human Rights
As FIFA Awards “Peace Prize,” Coalition Calls for Concrete Protections for Workers, Athletes, Fans, Journalists, and Children (Washington, DC, December 3, 2025) – 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 […]
US: ICE Arrest at FIFA Event Spotlights Dangers for World Cup
Asylum Seeker Detained, Returned to Country of Origin (New York) – The arrest and return of an asylum seeker who took his children to the Club World Cup soccer tournament final on July 13, 2025, raises serious concerns about the safety of noncitizens attending the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Human Rights Watch said today. In […]
Global: Amnesty International calls on FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israeli Football Association
Six clubs in OPT in violation of international law and FIFA Statutes Amnesty International has sent a letter to FIFA and UEFA calling on them to suspend the Israeli Football Association (IFA) from their tournaments until it excludes clubs based in illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) from continuing to play in Israel’s football […]