The World Cup Has Started. The Human Rights Questions Haven’t Gone Away
As FIFA World Cup 2026 enters its second week, the football has begun to capture global attention.
Supporters have filled stadiums across Canada, Mexico and the United States. New stories are emerging on the pitch, from underdog performances to historic first appearances, while host cities have welcomed thousands of travelling fans.
Yet alongside the football, many of the human rights concerns raised in the lead-up to the tournament remain unresolved.
For several years, FIFA has promoted World Cup 2026 as a tournament guided by its Human Rights Policy and bidding requirements. Human rights considerations were formally integrated into the World Cup hosting process for the first time, creating expectations that the tournament would be delivered in a way that protects the rights and dignity of players, supporters, journalists, workers and local communities.
However, events during the opening days of the tournament have highlighted the growing gap between those commitments and concerns being raised by civil society organisations.
Immigration enforcement remains one of the most significant issues. In recent months, more than 120 civil society organisations issued a travel advisory warning supporters and visitors about immigration-related risks, including detention, deportation, profiling and increased border scrutiny. Similar concerns have been raised by community organisations working directly with migrant communities in several host cities.
Questions have also emerged regarding access to the tournament itself. Reports have highlighted visa difficulties affecting some journalists, football officials and members of participating delegations. Human rights advocates argue that barriers to entry risk undermining the World Cup’s role as a genuinely global event.
The concerns extend beyond international visitors. Community groups across the United States have used the opening week of the tournament to draw attention to the experiences of migrants, asylum seekers and vulnerable communities who continue to face uncertainty during a period of heightened international attention.
These debates are taking place against a wider political backdrop. Immigration policy, border controls, freedom of movement and civil liberties have become increasingly prominent issues in the United States, creating a context that inevitably shapes the experience of a tournament built on international participation.
At the same time, the World Cup has also provided a platform for civil society organisations, supporter groups and community advocates to organise, educate and raise awareness. Across several host cities, local coalitions have hosted events, distributed know-your-rights information and created spaces for discussion about the social impact of the tournament.
For many observers, this reflects a broader reality of modern mega-events. Major sporting tournaments do not exist in isolation from the societies that host them. They bring global visibility, economic opportunities and moments of celebration, but they can also shine a spotlight on unresolved social and political challenges.
As the tournament continues, the football will rightly remain at the centre of attention. But the conversations around human rights, inclusion, access and accountability are unlikely to disappear.
For FIFA, host authorities and tournament organisers, the real test is not whether concerns are raised. It is whether those concerns are heard, acknowledged and addressed in ways that reflect the commitments made before a ball was ever kicked.
The world is watching the football. It is also watching everything happening around it.
