Amnesty International has warned that football fans attending this summer’s World Cup risk being confronted with “troubling attacks on human rights”.
Amnesty said the “safe, welcoming and inclusive” tournament promised by FIFA, the sport’s governing body and the competition’s organisers, was compromised by “severe restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful protest”.
In a report published on Sunday, Amnesty said the U.S. is “facing a human rights emergency”, while risks in co-hosts Mexico and Canada are also discussed.
Amnesty highlights how Mexico has mobilised 100,000 security personnel, including the military, in response to high levels of violence, raising risks for people protesting in the country.
In Canada, meanwhile, the report cites authorities in Toronto closing a winter warming center providing shelter for people experiencing homelessness, as the venue had been pre-booked for use by FIFA.
It is the U.S., which is hosting 78 of the tournament’s 104 games, which draws the greatest concern from the report, which highlights “discriminatory immigration policies” and “mass detentions and arbitrary arrests by masked, armed agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other agencies.”
In response to the Amnesty report, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told The Athletic: “Every effort is being made to ensure that these events are safe and successful, and that global fans, families, and athletes have a seamless experience during every part of their visit.
“Preparations for the FIFA World Cup have been underway for more than a year, with safety and security as the top priority of the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026.
“We are closely monitoring global events and any potential impacts to the FIFA World Cup and will adapt our security posture as needed to address emerging threats and ensure the utmost safety for the entire duration of the tournament.”
The Athletic has also contacted FIFA about the claims made in Amnesty’s report.
U.S. President Donald Trump with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images)
In February, Todd Lyons, ICE’s acting director, said agents would play a “key part” in the security at this summer’s tournament. ICE, which is split into two sectors, commonly provides intelligence and security at international sporting events. Its agents were in attendance at last month’s Milan Cortina Olympics in Italy. Their presence at the Games led to protests in Milan.
ICE had previously drawn intense scrutiny during the administration of President Donald Trump over a surge in immigration crackdowns and deportation operations in various cities, including Minneapolis. In January, U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed by federal agents in the Minnesota city.
“The U.S. Government has deported more than 500,000 people from the USA in 2025 —nearly eight times as many people as will watch the World Cup final in the MetLife Stadium,” said Amnesty International’s Steve Cockburn.
“The record-breaking surge of unlawful arrests and deportations has only been possible because of 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 U.S.. It’s a deeply troubling time in the U.S., which will certainly extend to fans who want to take part in World Cup celebrations.”
Amnesty’s report says tournament host cities Dallas, Houston and Miami are signing what it describes as “problematic agreements” for ICE forces to collaborate with local law enforcement.
Amnesty argues this “increases racial profiling and targeting of immigrants, and erodes trust between communities and local law enforcement, leading to reduced public safety”, and describes ICE as a “paramilitary-style operation”.
Earlier this week, The Athletic reported that fans from several countries participating in this summer’s World Cup must deposit up to $15,000 in bond payments to be granted a tourist visa to enter the United States, while organiser FIFA is privately pressing the Trump administration to make exemptions for players.
The “Visa Bond Pilot Program” relates to 50 countries, five of which have qualified for the World Cup. The policy has impacted nationals from Algeria, Cape Verde, Senegal and the Ivory Coast since January 21 this year. Last week, World Cup participants Tunisia were among the countries added to the list, which comes into effect from April 2. Cape Verde — an archipelago of only 525,000 people — has qualified for the men’s World Cup for the first time in its history.
Amnesty’s report references U.S. travel bans on fans from Ivory Coast, Haiti, Iran and Senegal, while warning that fans of other nationalities will face “intrusive surveillance”, including the vetting of social media accounts and screening for “anti-Americanism”.
The report adds that each of the three host nations have placed “restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly”.
The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, with 11 of the 16 host cities in the United States.
“While FIFA generates record revenues from the 2026 World Cup, fans, communities, players, journalists and workers cannot be made to pay the price,” said Cockburn.
“It is these people — not governments, sponsors or FIFA – to whom football belongs, and their rights must be at the center of the tournament.”
Cockburn added: “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.
“This World Cup is no longer the ‘medium risk’ tournament that FIFA once judged it to be — whether it is to protect people from ICE, guarantee the right to protest or prevent homelessness, urgent action is needed to make sure the reality of this World Cup matches its original promise.”
