Sporting Events
Explore our latest research and analysis on the world’s biggest sporting events and the athletes, fans, and communities impacted by them.
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FIFA: Governance Crisis Reveals Urgent Need for Rights Reform
Human Rights Groups Call for Systemic Transformation to Prevent History Repeating Itself (Amsterdam, August 6, 2026) – FIFA’s current crisis spotlights the need for governance reforms and transparent systems to protect human rights, the Sport & Rights Alliance said today. Though Gianni Infantino’s FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal has been rightly withdrawn, the growing calls […]
FIFA: A World Cup Without the World
Assessing Human Rights Impacts of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup (New York, July 16, 2026) – The joy and celebration on display at the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup should not distract from the unprecedented exclusion, discrimination and misuse of power the U.S. government is conducting away from the spotlight, the Sport & Rights […]
FIFA: Fear and Uncertainty in Final Countdown to 2026 World Cup
Voices of People Impacted by FIFA’s Top Tournament (New York, June 10, 2026) – As the world awaits the opening whistle of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, players, fan groups, and human rights groups are highlighting the risks posed by the U.S. government’s visa bans, travel restrictions and abusive immigration operations, the Sport & […]
Debunking the IOC FAQ
In connection to the IOC Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women’s) Category in Olympic Sport A scientific, legal, and child safeguarding analysis from Humans of Sport May 2026 Introduction On 26 March 2026, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board adopted a new Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women’s) Category in […]
FIFA: Keep the World in the World Cup
Football belongs to the world. FIFA is planning the biggest World Cup ever: 48 teams, matches in 16 cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and billions watching around the world. FIFA has promised a safe, welcoming and ‘inclusive’ tournament through its Human Rights Framework. But under U.S. President Donald Trump, harsh anti-human […]
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” […]
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 […]
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 […]
Olympics: Uphold human rights for all athletes
Requesting clarification on the IOC Working Group on Women’s Category The Sport & Rights Alliance has written to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding the IOC Working Group on the “protection of the female category” and potential decisions to implement mandatory sex testing and a blanket ban on transgender and intersex athletes in the women’s […]
Global: FIFA must publish its review into compensation for workers harmed delivering the World Cup in Qatar
FIFA should immediately publish and act on a review it received five months ago assessing its human rights responsibilities towards workers harmed delivering the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar, Amnesty International said today. Amnesty International understands that an independent review, which was announced at FIFA’s Congress early last year and had its findings approved by FIFA’s […]
Statement by Dignity 2026 Coalition on the Announcement of the Match Schedule for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup
This weekend, FIFA released the much-anticipated match schedule for the 2026 Men’s World Cup, which will be held across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. As planning accelerates in these host cities, event organizers will now be making critical decisions on tournament operations, including for Fan Fests, transportation, concessions, and hospitality. In […]
Qatar: Inaction by Qatar and FIFA a year on from the World Cup puts legacy for workers in peril
Qatar’s continuing failure to remedy abuses faced by migrant workers and adequately protect them from labour exploitation is tainting the legacy of the FIFA men’s World Cup one year on, Amnesty International said today. A new briefing, A Legacy in Jeopardy, shows that progress towards improving workers’ rights has largely stalled since the tournament ended, while remedy […]