Published on 4/30/2026
Amnesty International called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to use his speech before the 76th FIFA Congress, which is being held today, Thursday, in the Canadian city of Vancouver, to declare a clear commitment to ensuring that the 2026 World Cup does not turn into an arena for repression, mass deportation, arbitrary detention, and restriction of freedom of expression.
The organization said that only six weeks until the start of the 2026 World Cup finals, Infantino has not yet made a public pledge explaining how fans, journalists and local communities will be protected from deportation, arbitrary detention and crackdowns.
Steve Coburn, head of the Economic and Social Justice Program at Amnesty International, added that this Congress should be the moment in which the FIFA president provides concrete answers, not just elastic statements, about how human rights will be protected during the tournament, stressing that “it is time for Infantino to finally tell us how human rights will be protected at the World Cup.”
Amnesty International pointed to reports that FIFA is still considering whether to ask US President Donald Trump to suspend the campaigns of raids and deportations of immigrants carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the World Cup period, describing the matter as “incomprehensible” in light of the fact that 500,000 people were deported from the United States in 2025 alone, amid what the organization describes as a nationwide human rights emergency.
Last month, Amnesty International published a report in which it warned of serious threats to human rights and risks affecting fans, players, journalists, workers and local communities in the three countries hosting the tournament (the United States, Canada and Mexico), especially those linked to the “cruel and deadly” US immigration policies that have led to a significant rise in illegal arrests, mass detentions and deportations.
Coburn stressed that fans should be able to enjoy a “safe, welcoming and inclusive” tournament, as promised by FIFA, but immigration policies in the United States still pose a serious threat, while discrimination and restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful protest continue in the three countries. He concluded by saying that Infantino must now provide a clear answer on how respect for human rights will be ensured during the 2026 World Cup.
