New york: 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 and peaceful protest threaten the safe, welcoming, and inclusive tournament promised by FIFA.
According to Amnesty International, its new report, "Humanity Must Win: Defending rights, tackling repression at the 2026 FIFA World Cup," details significant risks to and impacts on fans, players, journalists, workers, and local communities in all three host countries. The USA under President Trump - where three-quarters of World Cup matches will be held - is facing a human rights emergency marked by discriminatory immigration policies, mass detentions, and arbitrary arrests by masked, armed agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other agencies.
The US Government has deported more than 500,000 people from the USA in 2025 - more than six times as many people than will watch the World Cup final in the MetLife Stadium, said Amnesty International's Head of Economic and Social Justice, Steve Cockburn. The record-breaking surge of unlawful arrests and deportations has only been possible due to the erosion of due process safeguards, undermining the rights to liberty and security of hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees. These policies have torn communities apart and created a climate of fear throughout the USA. It's a deeply troubling time in the US, which will certainly extend to fans who want to take part in World Cup celebrations.
World Cup host cities have been impacted by the US government's crackdown on rights. President Trump federalized and deployed approximately 4,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June 2025, in response to protests against immigration raids. Host cities Dallas, Houston, and Miami have all signed problematic agreements for local law enforcement agencies to collaborate with ICE, which increases racial profiling and targeting of immigrants, and erodes trust between communities and local law enforcement, leading to reduced public safety.
In Canada, the impact of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and a growing housing crisis have raised fears that people experiencing homelessness will again be displaced. In the other host countries, Mexico has mobilized 100,000 security personnel, including the military, in response to high levels of violence, raising risks for people protesting. This includes women activists who are planning a peaceful protest for the opening match at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, seeking truth, justice, and remedy for the disappearance of loved ones.
US travel restrictions and abusive immigration policies mar the beautiful game. In 2025 alone, the U.S. government deported over 500,000 people, including 230,000 arrested in the interior of the country and 270,000 at the border, according to analysis of official government data by the New York Times. Many have been deported in violation of the principle of non-refoulement to third countries to which they have no connection, to face arbitrary and prolonged detention.
Due to travel bans under the Trump administration, fans from C´te d'Ivoire, Haiti, Iran, and Senegal will be unable to travel and enter the US to support their team unless they had valid visas before 1 January 2026. Other fans face intrusive surveillance, with proposals to force visitors to make their social media accounts available for vetting, and screening for anti-Americanism.
Despite the astounding numbers of arrests and deportations, neither FIFA nor the US authorities have provided any guarantees that fans and local communities will be safe from ethnic and racial profiling, indiscriminate raids, or unlawful detention and deportation, said Steve Cockburn. Only four of the 16 host cities have so far published their human rights plans, and none of those that have done so to date say anything about protection from abusive immigration enforcement.
Across the USA, Canada, and Mexico, there have been restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The Trump administration has particularly targeted foreign-born students protesting the Israeli government's ongoing genocide in Gaza, while US citizens protesting and monitoring aggressive immigration enforcement actions have been killed by federal agents.
With just over 10 weeks until the World Cup kicks off, FIFA's commitment to a tournament where everyone feels safe, included, and free to exercise their rights requires urgent action to ensure the beautiful game is not at risk of an ugly outcome. Members from LGBTQI+ groups in the UK and across Europe have said it is not safe for them to have a visible presence at the tournament.