2026 World Cup: Amnesty International warns of shortcomings in respect for human rights

"The 2026 World Cup is taking place amidst an acute human rights crisis. With just weeks to go until kick-off, FIFA’s claim that football unites the world sits in stark contrast to the divisive and repressive practices of the governments who host its flagship tournament," Amnesty International said on 30/03/2026.

The British NGO lists three priority areas of concern:
• abusive enforcement of immigration policies and discriminatory border controls;
• threats to the rights to freedom and peaceful assembly;
• discrimination against LGBT+ community and fans.

The United States (where 78 of the competition’s 104 matches will be held) is a prime target of the NGO, which has denounced "an acute human rights crisis" there due to President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, which aims to deport up to one million people from US territory each year. "The risk is not abstract: at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, Human Rights Watch documented the case of one fan who was arrested for a minor civil offence before being transferred to ICE and later deported," according to Amnesty International. The…