Human Rights Watch Voices Concerns Ahead of 2026 World Cup

-Editorial 

As the United States prepares to host the largest sporting event in history, human rights advocates are raising concerns about immigration policies, press freedoms, worker protections and civil liberties that could shape the experience of millions of visitors expected to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The tournament, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will feature 48 teams and 104 matches, making it the largest World Cup ever organized by FIFA. The United States will host 78 matches, including games in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Dallas, Kansas City, Boston, San Francisco, and the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area.

During a recent media briefing focused on preparations for the tournament, Minky Worden, director of global initiatives for Human Rights Watch, outlined several areas of concern that she said deserve scrutiny from journalists, policymakers and tournament organizers.

Worden said the upcoming World Cup is unique because it is the first men’s World Cup to be organized under a formal FIFA human rights framework that was developed in response to criticism surrounding previous tournaments, particularly the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

She said concerns over labor conditions and the treatment of migrant workers during preparations for those tournaments helped drive FIFA to incorporate human rights considerations into its bidding and hosting requirements.

“The starting point is really the human rights catastrophes around previous World Cups,” Worden said.

According to Worden, FIFA introduced human rights requirements into the bidding process for prospective host countries and developed a human rights strategy intended to guide preparations and operations for future tournaments.

Despite those measures, she said Human Rights Watch believes significant challenges remain, particularly in the United States, which will host the majority of matches and attract the largest number of visitors.

Worden described the scale of the tournament as unprecedented, comparing it to hosting dozens of Super Bowls over the course of five weeks.

“This is something we haven’t seen before,” she said.

Among the issues highlighted by Human Rights Watch are immigration enforcement policies, visa restrictions, protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, child safeguarding measures, labor rights and the treatment of journalists.

Worden argued that changes in the U.S. immigration landscape since FIFA awarded hosting rights for the tournament in 2018 have created new concerns about accessibility and participation.

She pointed to visa restrictions affecting citizens of several countries and questioned whether all fans, journalists, and participants would be able to travel freely to the United States for the event.

According to Worden, some countries that have historically qualified for World Cup competition could face challenges due to visa policies and travel restrictions.

She said Human Rights Watch is concerned that such measures could undermine FIFA’s goal of staging what it has described as the most inclusive World Cup in history.

“The rhetoric is that this will be the largest and most inclusive World Cup,” Worden said. “The question is whether people will actually be able to attend.”

One of the organization’s principal concerns involves immigration enforcement operations in and around host cities.

Human Rights Watch, along with other advocacy organizations including the Sport and Rights Alliance and Dignity 2026, has called for what it describes as an “ICE truce” during the tournament.

The proposal would seek a temporary suspension of certain immigration enforcement activities near World Cup venues and events.

Worden said the concept is modeled after the Olympic Truce, a longstanding international tradition intended to promote peace and safe participation during major sporting events.

She argued that the World Cup should not become an immigration enforcement focal point and said immigrant communities may face difficult decisions about attending matches and public events.

According to Worden, interviews conducted by Human Rights Watch in communities connected to host cities revealed concerns among some individuals who fear possible detention or deportation while participating in tournament activities.

The organization has also urged FIFA to engage with government officials regarding immigration-related concerns.

Worden noted that some members of Congress have publicly advocated for a temporary reduction in immigration enforcement activities during the World Cup to ensure that visitors and residents can participate without fear.

Another area of concern identified by Human Rights Watch involves freedom of the press and the ability of journalists to report on tournament-related developments.

Worden said FIFA estimates that approximately 50,000 accredited journalists will cover the World Cup. However, she noted that many more reporters, photographers, broadcasters, and independent media outlets are expected to cover events outside official venues.

She said journalists could face challenges crossing international borders as they travel between host countries to follow teams and stories throughout the tournament.

In addition, she warned that reporters covering demonstrations, public gatherings or protests near stadiums and fan zones could encounter risks similar to those documented during recent protests in several U.S. cities.

Worden said journalists should take precautions to protect their equipment and communications devices while reporting during the tournament.

“We are concerned about every stakeholder touched by this World Cup,” she said.

She emphasized that the event should be viewed not only as a sporting competition but also as a workplace for athletes, journalists, hospitality workers, transportation employees, security personnel, and thousands of other workers whose jobs are connected to tournament operations.

Human Rights Watch has published a guide for journalists covering the World Cup that examines human rights issues in all three host countries, including concerns involving labor rights, migration, public safety, and civil liberties.

Worden also discussed concerns involving Iran’s participation in the tournament. The Iran team will be training in Tijuana, Baja California as they were not allowed in the U.S. 

Responding to questions about travel restrictions affecting Iranian players, fans and journalists, she said Human Rights Watch believes sporting events should remain accessible to participants regardless of geopolitical tensions.

She noted that Iranian women’s rights advocates have historically used international sporting events as platforms to advocate for greater freedoms and draw attention to discrimination affecting women in Iran.

Worden said restrictions on travel and participation could affect not only fans but also journalists and members of civil society seeking to engage with international audiences during the World Cup.

She further argued that athletes should be able to compete without facing political pressure from either domestic or foreign governments.

Throughout the briefing, Worden repeatedly emphasized that the World Cup presents an opportunity for governments, sports organizations, and civil society groups to demonstrate their commitment to human rights principles.

At the same time, she said the event will likely attract significant scrutiny because of its scale, visibility and international significance.