Nigeria: 2026 World Cup risks becoming ‘stage for repression’, warns Amnesty International

By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across the US, Canada, and Mexico, is at risk of becoming a “stage for repression” due to severe human rights concerns, Amnesty International warned in a report titled “Humanity Must Win”.

 The organization highlights that the tournament could exacerbate existing issues, particularly in the US, where discriminatory immigration policies, mass detentions, and arbitrary arrests are prevalent.

Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s head of economic and social justice, emphasized that fans, communities, players, journalists, and workers should not be made to “pay the price” for FIFA’s record revenues. 

The US government’s actions, including ICE operations, pose a “chilling threat” to migrants and fans alike. LGBTQ+ fan groups from Europe have expressed concerns about attending matches in the US, citing risks to transgender supporters.

The report calls on FIFA and host countries to take urgent action to protect human rights, ensuring the tournament is “safe, welcoming, and inclusive”. FIFA has promised a tournament where everyone “feels safe, included, and free to exercise their rights”, but Amnesty says this pledge is at odds with the current reality.