Amnesty International warns World Cup fans face potential human rights violations

Amnesty International has warned that the 2026 FIFA World Cup could expose fans, players, journalists and local communities to human rights violations across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The group’s new report, Humanity Must Win: Defending Rights, Tackling Repression at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, says the scale of the tournament creates a broad risk environment for racial profiling, mass detentions and limits on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Amnesty says the United States is the biggest concern because it will host most of the matches and because immigration and border agencies are expected to play a major role in security and venue operations.

Amnesty describes the U.S. situation as a human rights emergency. It also warns that the tournament’s security footprint could reach beyond stadiums, affecting visitors, protesters, migrants, journalists and local residents in host cities.

Why Amnesty Is Warning Now

The report was published on June 10, 2026, as preparations for the tournament move deeper into the public phase and pressure grows on organizers to spell out protections city by city.

Amnesty said that as of March only four of the 16 host cities had published human rights protection plans. The group argues that gap leaves fans and residents without clear safeguards ahead of a tournament expected to draw millions of visitors.

The report urges host governments not to rely on military forces for civilian security and not to use immigration enforcement at event venues. Those recommendations are aimed at reducing the chance that match-day policing turns into broader repression.

Risks Across Host Countries

The warning is not limited to the United States. Amnesty also flags security-related repression in Mexico, including the deployment of 100,000 security agents, and the possible displacement of unhoused people in Canada, including in Toronto.

That puts host-city policy, policing and crowd control at the center of the rights debate. The concern is not only what happens inside stadiums, but also how governments treat people in surrounding public spaces and transit areas.

Immigrant-rights groups in U.S. host cities are already mobilizing around World Cup-related ICE fears, according to The Guardian. Their preparations underscore how quickly the tournament has become tied to concerns over enforcement and access.

FIFA's Response

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has defended the organization’s handling of tournament logistics and said FIFA cannot control government entry decisions. His comments, reported by AP on June 11, came as questions grew over ticket prices and a denied U.S. entry case.

That response leaves a central tension unresolved. FIFA can set tournament standards and work with host organizers, but border policy, visa screening and policing remain in the hands of governments.

The result is a widening gap between the global scale of the event and the local rules that will shape how visitors, workers and residents experience it.

What Comes Next

The next pressure point is whether FIFA, host-city organizers and the governments of the United States, Mexico and Canada publish clearer protection plans.

Watch for additional city-specific guidance, responses from immigration and security authorities, and further statements from Amnesty or allied groups on venue policing, protest rights and travel access.

For now, the World Cup’s off-field stakes are becoming as prominent as the matches themselves: whether organizers can stage a giant international event without turning it into a rights flashpoint.