Top human rights group challenges FIFA over Trump and 2026 World Cup

FIFA is facing mounting pressure about the 2026 World Cup in North America after a top human rights organization said it has “grave concerns” about the Trump administration’s border policies affecting the tournament.

Human Rights Watch urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to be “prepared to reconsider the hosting decision” if the safety of fans and players can’t be guaranteed, according to a letter seen by POLITICO.

The 2026 men’s tournament will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and follows politically controversial tournaments in 2018 in Vladimir Putin’s Russia and in 2022 in Qatar.

But as U.S. President Donald Trump cracks down on some foreign arrivals — with tourists even detained at the border on minor grounds — the world’s premier sporting event now risks being overshadowed again by politics.

Last week, POLITICO reported that Infantino is in lockstep with Trump behind closed doors, privately telling top football officials that tough border policies would not affect the competition.

In the letter dated May 5, Human Rights Watch Director of Global Initiatives Minky Worden told Infantino that FIFA must “establish clear benchmarks and timelines for U.S. immigration policy changes needed to ensure respect for the rights of players, fans, and other participants in the World Cup.”

The world football governing body anticipates that as many as 6.5 million people could attend the tournament next summer, with another 3.7 million coming for this summer’s Club World Cup, which will be held entirely in the U.S.

For its part, the White House has pledged that World Cup travel will be a smooth process for visiting supporters.

“Every part of the U.S. government will be working to ensure that these events are safe and successful, and those traveling to America to watch the competition have a seamless experience during every part of their visit,” Trump said during a World Cup task force event in Washington last week. “It’s going to be very special.”

But Human Rights Watch worriedly detailed Trump’s potential visa bans on some countries, the possibility of detention, interrogation and denial of entry at the U.S. border, “prohibitively” long visa waiting times, new laws targeting LGBTQ+ people, and the potential for “chilling limits” on free speech and peaceful protest as policies threatening the competition.

“The administration of President Donald Trump has implemented or is planning policies that fundamentally undermine the inclusive spirit of the World Cup and the non-discrimination policies under FIFA’s Statutes,” the organization warned Infantino.

It also noted that in FIFA’s own human rights legislation, the football behemoth pledges to take measures to “to promote the protection of human rights” and “apply effective leverage” where it can to strength the promotion of human rights through football.

In the letter, Human Rights Watch said that Infantino has “both the responsibility and authority to address the repudiation of human rights commitments at the 2026 World Cup” and demanded a response to the following questions.

“What actions is FIFA taking so that the U.S. government will permit players, fans and journalists from around the world to safely attend the 2026 World Cup in the U.S.?” it asked.

“What actions does FIFA plan to take in the event any players, fans or journalists are subject to discrimination, wrongful interrogation or arbitrary arrest while in the U.S.?,” it added.

“What steps is FIFA taking with the U.S. government and the White House Task Force on The FIFA World Cup 2026 chaired by President Trump to advocate for changes in policies to align with international human rights, FIFA’s Statutes, and FIFA’s Human Rights Policy?” it concluded.

FIFA did not provide a response to POLITICO’s request for comment.