World Cup Host Cities Fail to Deliver Human Rights Plans

With the tournament just 2 months away, only 4 of 16 host cities have published required action plans to protect players, fans, and journalists

Apr. 11, 2026 at 2:30am

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A fractured, multi-perspective painting in vibrant blues, greens, and reds, breaking down a soccer match into sharp, overlapping geometric shapes, conceptually representing the lack of coherent human rights plans from World Cup host cities.The fragmented, cubist depiction of a World Cup match reflects the host cities' failure to deliver comprehensive human rights protections for the tournament.Atlanta Today

World Cup host city committees and FIFA have fallen short on steps needed to protect players, fans, and journalists at the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch. Only 4 of the 16 host cities have published the required human rights action plans, and those plans fail to adequately address risks faced by immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and journalists covering the event.

Why it matters

The 2026 World Cup is the first to have a mandatory human rights framework, requiring host cities to develop plans to protect vulnerable groups. However, the lack of comprehensive plans raises concerns about exclusion, discrimination, and threats to media freedom during the world's largest sporting event.

The details

All but one of the host city committees have either failed to present the required action plans or produced plans that ignore or inadequately address risks. This includes the threat of abusive immigration enforcement, with data showing ICE has arrested over 167,000 people in and around the 11 US host cities since 2025. The published plans also do little to address discrimination against LGBTQ+ fans and players, despite the tournament taking place partly during Pride month.

  • From January 20, 2025 to March 10, 2026, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested at least 167,000 people in and around the 11 US cities where World Cup games will be played.
  • The original March 2025 deadline for the host city human rights action plans was extended to August 29, 2025.

The players

Human Rights Watch

An international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights.

Minky Worden

Director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch.

Yareliz Mendez-Zamora

Policy coordinator at American Friends Service Committee Florida.

Jennifer Li

Coordinator of Dignity2026 and director of the Center for Community Health Innovation at Georgetown Law.

Gianni Infantino

President of FIFA.

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What they’re saying

“Despite years to prepare, the specter of immigration enforcement at FIFA events, and emerging threats to media freedom, host committees have failed to deliver coherent plans for the world's largest sporting event.”

— Minky Worden, Director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch

“For the Miami Host City Committee—the city where FIFA bases its North American operations—failing to release a human rights action plan for stakeholder input is a clear 'own goal'.”

— Yareliz Mendez-Zamora, Policy coordinator at American Friends Service Committee Florida

“An overwhelming sentiment among stakeholders in host cities is that the World Cup is something that will happen to them, rather than for or even with them.”

— Jennifer Li, Coordinator of Dignity2026 and director of the Center for Community Health Innovation at Georgetown Law

What’s next

FIFA should insist that all 16 host committees work with local stakeholders to publish and implement full Human Rights Action Plans before May 11. Every plan should explicitly address immigration enforcement risks, include LGBT-specific protections, and guarantee the safety and accreditation of journalists covering human rights issues.

The takeaway

The lack of comprehensive human rights plans from World Cup host cities raises serious concerns about exclusion, discrimination, and threats to media freedom during the tournament. FIFA and local organizers must act quickly to address these issues and uphold their commitments to human rights.