AMNESTY WARNS 2026 WORLD CUP COULD BECOME “STAGE FOR REPRESSION”

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By: Fasasi Hammad

Amnesty International has warned that this summer’s football World Cup, hosted across three North American countries, could become a “stage for repression,” according to a report released Monday.

The London-based human rights organisation’s report, titled “Humanity Must Win”, urged FIFA and the host nations — the US, Canada, and Mexico — to take immediate measures to protect fans, players, and local communities.

FIFA has pledged a tournament where everyone “feels safe, included and free to exercise their rights.” However, Amnesty said this promise sharply contrasts with conditions on the ground in all three host countries, particularly the US, which is hosting three-quarters of the 104 matches.

The report describes the US as facing a “human rights emergency” under the Trump administration, citing mass deportations, arbitrary arrests, and what it calls “paramilitary-style” operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The acting director of ICE recently confirmed that the agency will be “a key part of the overall security apparatus for the World Cup,” despite public outrage following the deaths of two Americans protesting aggressive ICE raids in Minneapolis earlier this year.

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Amnesty noted that none of the host cities’ published plans address how fans or local communities will be protected from ICE operations. Some fans from participating nations — including Ivory Coast, Haiti, Iran, and Senegal — face US travel restrictions, while LGBTQ+ supporters from England and Europe have said they will avoid matches in the US due to safety concerns for transgender fans.

“This World Cup is far from the ‘medium risk’ tournament FIFA once described, and urgent action is needed to reconcile the tournament’s promise with the current reality,” the report said.

FIFA has confirmed that the 48-team tournament — the largest World Cup in history — will go ahead “as scheduled,” despite uncertainties over Iran’s participation due to ongoing regional conflicts. The governing body, which faced heavy criticism for awarding a “Peace Prize” to President Trump in December 2025, is expected to earn $11 billion from the tournament cycle.

“While FIFA generates record revenues from the 2026 World Cup, fans, communities, players, journalists, and workers cannot be made to pay the price,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s head of economic and social justice. “Football belongs to these people — not governments, sponsors, or FIFA — and their rights must be central to the tournament.”

The World Cup will open on June 11 at Mexico City Stadium, with the final scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.