The FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026 is well underway, with 104 games taking place across 16 cities in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Millions of spectators are expected to attend the games live, and many more will watch their favorite teams compete for the trophy from home, with friends, and in public spaces.
As one of the most-watched sporting events of the year, the World Cup is a joyful experience that unites our global community through the love of football. The rush of competition, the national pride for participating countries, the potential heartbreak when your team loses a close match; it’s all part of what makes the games exciting.
But with hosting duties spread across three federal and several local governments, local agencies and fans alike should stay vigilant and take action to ensure that athletes and fans can enjoy a fair, accessible, and equitable experience.
Sports don’t exist in a vacuum, and they never have. If individuals can’t enjoy playing or watching their favorite game as their full selves, then the pure joy of sports will be lost. Similarly, if sports aren’t safe for people to participate in and attend—or if workers face abuses in delivering necessary services and infrastructure to make events like these possible—then the actual harms undermine all the potential for sports to serve as a force for good. That’s why FIFA collaborated with civil society to adopt a Human Rights Policy in 2017, committing to respect internationally-recognized human rights across its operations and events.
To understand how human rights are associated with the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026, Global Citizen spoke with the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, an independent organization that works with sports bodies, governments, and civil society to embed respect for human rights in practice across global sports. They’ve prepared a Fan + Communities Guide to help those attending games find resources and information to seek assistance for a range of potential human rights issues, which include details for how to report them, including through the FIFA grievance mechanism.
“The Fan + Communities Guide, accessible from your mobile phone, provides a convenient way for people to access important information in a variety of languages that they may need during the tournament. We are so pleased to be able to provide this resource and hope it is helpful to fans and communities across the continent,” says Mary Harvey, the Center’s Chief Executive Officer.
Below, find some examples they’ve indicated for Global Citizens to pay attention to, and how you can take action to stand up for human rights at this year’s games — whether you’re attending live or watching from home.
1. Accessibility and Inclusion
FIFA’s 2026 Human Rights Framework highlights the organization’s guidance to host city committees to make the tournament as inclusive as possible, which include maintaining accessibility standards and promoting workers’ rights.
Of course, ensuring the tournament is inclusive is a larger issue that encompasses increasing access to the games, as well as freedom from discrimination, aggressive policing, and excessive surveillance. In addition, protections for people with disabilities, workers, LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, Indigenous peoples, and unsheltered populations vary greatly by country, province, state, and city.
For example: in many cities hosting games for the World Cup, local governments have employed varied tactics to address homelessness that affect an individual’s freedom and dignity, including detaining or forcibly rehousing people, and sweeping encampments.
How to Take Action
If you encounter accessibility barriers at stadiums or official sites—such as missing ramps, unclear signage, unavailable elevators, or information not being available in accessible formats—report these incidents through the tournament grievance mechanism. Accessibility issues with local transit systems can be raised through local complaints mechanisms.
- Pay attention to whether authorities in your locale have displaced individuals in order to accommodate watch parties, matches, or other activities associated with the games, and contact local organizations that support people experiencing homelessness.
- Report instances of hate crimes or discrimination to local authorities, and check out these community resources for LGBTQ+ people and Indigenous communities, to access necessary services and understand your rights.
- Remain alert to whether workers’ rights are being respected at stadiums and other venues hosting matches, and that people are being fairly compensated for their time and work.
2. Protecting Civic Space
Over the past year and around the world individuals around the world have faced increasing repression against freedom of speech and peaceful protest; in the Americas, the risks to human rights arising from excessive force in response to protests contributed to a reduced civic space rating for the region on the CIVICUS Monitor.
With a history of authorities being responsible for unnecessary violence, arrest and detention, and crackdowns on free speech, the atmosphere surrounding the World Cup can be charged with fear and anxiety about how local authorities could manage large gatherings of spectators.
Given the global stage moment of the World Cup, fans and tourists might decide to engage their freedom of expression to speak out about important issues important to them in any or all of the host countries. To ensure their rights are respected, check out our recommendations for supporting civic space below.
How to Take Action:
Review important tips for staying safe during a busy and large event—this guide from the Centre for Sport and Human Rights shares helpful links to resources created by local organizations based in host cities.
- Understand your own rights to gather, demonstrate, protest, and express yourself in different cities or countries.
- Support others being able to exercise their freedom of expression in public spaces, and keep an eye out for whether authorities are utilizing unnecessary or excessive force to squash peaceful protests.
- Share guides to interacting with local law enforcement with attendees, and save these important phone numbers for both emergency and non-emergency services in different cities.
3. Safety and Well-being
As with any outdoor event taking place in the summer, the World Cup is going to be hot—seriously. This year’s games are expected to be the hottest in history, in part due to the effects of climate change, which may require games to be postponed for the safety of athletes, spectators, and stadium staff.
Additionally, with large groups of people descending on crowded venues and watch parties, public health officials might be concerned about the spread of illnesses like measles and COVID-19, particularly with international travelers visiting Mexico, Canada, and the United States.
Outside of the health concerns, safety is a top priority for World Cup spectators. While experts note that trafficking does not occur more frequently during mega-sporting events, the risks of people being targeted, manipulated, harmed, and exploited are real and worthy of caution. Global Citizens everywhere should also be aware of instances of gender-based violence and child endangerment affecting those attending the matches.
How to Take Action:
Stay hydrated during the games all summer long by drinking water, and access cooling centers in host cities.
If you witness suspicious activity taking place—such as labor exploitation, abuse, assault, coercion, and more—contact a crisis hotline to report instances of gender-based violence, including domestic violence.
Stay vigilant about potential harms to children, either at live matches, on the street, or in host cities in general. The Centre for Sport and Human Rights’ guide on child safeguarding has several resources from local organizations and child advocacy centers on how to access youth-focused resources and protect young people from harm.
These are just a snapshot of how human rights may impact this year’s World Cup, and are in addition to the regular slate of potential risks that exist at mega-sporting events globally.
This resource is a starting point. Fans can review the complete guide from the Centre for Sport and Human Rights to access even more information for taking action on human rights. Meanwhile, civil society organizations, local governments, the three host countries, corporate partners, and FIFA have an important role to play in preventing, mitigating, and — where harm occurs — remedying harms associated with this year’s games.
The World Cup is a chance for citizens all over the world to unite and celebrate what we have in common — and by taking action and staying vigilant, everyone can be safer in the process.