Shortly before the start of the tournament, the human rights organization Sport and Rights Alliance warned of a World Cup in a “climate of fear”. She sent a letter with demands to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“FIFA has promised a safe, welcoming and inclusive tournament within its human rights framework”said Andrea Florence from the Sport and Rights Alliance (SRA). “But US President Donald Trump’s anti-human rights rhetoric and immigration policies are instead fueling fear.” The FIFA motto “Football unites the world” does not apply in the face of entry bans for fans or mass deportation raids. The World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada begins on June 11th.
Although FIFA has a human rights framework for the first time at the 2026 World Cup, the tournament lacks the necessary protective measures. This doesn’t just apply to migrants; freedom of the press and the right to peaceful demonstrations are also at risk.
Andrea Florence, executive director of the human rights organization Sports and Rights Alliance
SRA makes several demands on FIFA
For the SRA, which works with organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders and Football Supporters Europe, director Andrea Florence wrote in a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. In it she demanded:
- FIFA should obtain a public commitment from the US government that it will refrain from enforcing immigration law during the World Cup. The fear: Fans could be exposed to access by the US immigration authorities ICE. According to official U.S. government data, ICE and other agencies detained hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S. in 2025, including in World Cup host cities. Officers often wear masks and plainclothes and often target non-white communities. Two people from the USA were killed during demonstrations against the crackdown.
- FIFA should ensure “that all qualified teams, media representatives and fans affected by discriminatory visa and entry bans and by the monitoring of their social media activities, regardless of their nationality, religion, gender or political opinion, have equal access to the tournament.” Entry bans and restrictions currently apply to people from the World Cup participant countries Haiti, Iran, Senegal and Ivory Coast. Entrants may also have to disclose a lot of private data, including social media activities.
- FIFA should set up an official mechanism to ensure independent and transparent human rights monitoring for the duration of the tournament.
- A public commitment to press freedom that allows media to report not just on the games, “but the entire history of this tournament.”
- The introduction of a FIFA policy that ensures families can attend the World Cup without fear of separation.
FIFA has the power to enforce these demands “about the necessary influence”emphasized Florence, referring to Infantino’s numerous joint appointments with Trump. She also has “legal and moral responsibility”. FIFA is “not a mere spectator to human rights violations”. There was largely no response to the demands, only a statement about child protection.
Donald Trump (l.) and Gianni Infantino (r.)
Sportschau has asked FIFA for a statement. It recently announced several World Cup campaigns targeting racism, peace, images and physical activity.
DFB wants to avoid political positions
Infantino awarded Trump a specially created “FIFA Peace Prize” in December. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf justified the awarding of the prize several times. Neuendorf said in January that he wanted to leave political assessments to the federal government. In the run-up to the tournament, he declined an interview request from Sportschau.
Human rights will already be the defining topic in 2022
Human rights violations had already shaped the discussion about the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. At that time it was about the rights of women and homosexuals, but above all about the treatment of migrant workers. Numerous people died during work that was directly or indirectly related to the tournament.
At the urging of the Norwegian association, FIFA commissioned an investigation into the exploitation of workers in Qatar. As a result, FIFA was found to be partly responsible and compensation payments were recommended – but FIFA did not see itself as legally obliged and refused to pay.