FIFA, Host Cities Fail to Protect Rights Ahead of World Cup

Human Rights Watch says host committees have not done enough to address risks for immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and journalists

Apr. 11, 2026 at 4:52am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A cubist, geometric painting in vibrant colors depicting a fractured, multi-angled scene of a chaotic World Cup event, conveying the lack of coordination and human rights safeguards for the tournament.The fragmented, disjointed visual representation of the World Cup's human rights challenges reflects the lack of coherent planning and protections by FIFA and host cities.Atlanta Today

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just two months away, host city committees and FIFA have fallen short on the steps needed to protect players, workers, and fans, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch. Most host cities have either failed to present required action plans or produced plans that ignore or inadequately address risks faced by vulnerable groups.

Why it matters

The 2026 World Cup is the first to have mandatory human rights requirements, but host cities have largely failed to deliver on plans to protect immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, journalists, and other groups at risk. This raises concerns about exclusion and potential human rights violations during the tournament.

The details

All but one of the 16 host city committees have either failed to present action plans required by FIFA or produced plans that ignore or fail to adequately address risks. From January 2025 to March 2026, US immigration authorities arrested at least 167,000 people in and around the 11 US host cities. The four cities that have published plans - Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Vancouver - have articulated some useful commitments, but still lack explicit protections for undocumented workers and fans. The plans also do little to address discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, and contain no references to the risks faced by journalists covering the event.

  • 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

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, who works closely with local groups across host cities.

Gianni Infantino

President of FIFA.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

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 and include LGBT-specific protections and anti-discrimination messaging. FIFA should also update and strengthen its media freedom policy to help guarantee the safety and accreditation of journalists covering human rights issues.

The takeaway

The failure of host cities to deliver comprehensive human rights plans ahead of the 2026 World Cup raises serious concerns about the tournament's potential to exclude and harm vulnerable groups, including immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and journalists. FIFA and local organizers must act quickly to address these gaps and uphold their commitments to human rights.