Ninety civil society groups have called on FIFA to protect fans planning to visit the US for the 2026 World Cup from President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
Most of the groups are based in the U.S. They express “deep concern” regarding the country's immigration policies and enforcement measures, as well as their potential impact on the 2026 World Cup, in a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, according to The Athletic.
The groups call on FIFA to use its “influence” to push the Trump administration to guarantee the rights of millions of football fans looking to attend the World Cup next summer. The letter notes Infantino’s “high-profile” engagements with the White House and his recent trip to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where he went with Trump for an investment summit.
The missive requests that FIFA use its position to “publicly” push Trump to backtrack on his policies, which the groups argue pose a risk to those coming from abroad to attend the tournament and migrant communities within the U.S.
The letter states that if the football organization remains silent, “the FIFA brand will be used as a public relations tool to whitewash the reputation of an increasingly authoritarian government.”
“We call on FIFA to use its influence to encourage the U.S. government to guarantee the fundamental rights of the millions of foreign visitors and fans who seek entry to the U.S. to attend the tournaments, and those of the constitutional rights of the many immigrants who already live, work, and contribute meaningfully to the cities selected to host them,” the letter argues.
Some of the signatories of the letter include Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the ACLU, and the NAACP. Additionally, civil society groups and unions in states that will host games, including New York, Florida, Georgia, California, Texas, Massachusetts, Missouri, and Pennsylvania, have also signed.
Fair Square, a U.K. advocacy group, coordinated the letter alongside several of the other groups, and it was sent to FIFA on Tuesday morning. Addressed to Infantino, it was also copied to other top officials, such as Carlos Cordeiro, the former U.S. Soccer President and now an advisor to Infantino. The letter was also addressed to FIFA COO Kevin Lamour, World Cup COO Heimo Schirgi, Director of Government Relations Alex Sopko, and Chief Strategy Officer Amy Hopfinger. It was also copied to Matthew Mullen, the FIFA Head of Human Rights for the 2026 World Cup. The tournament is set to be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Human Rights Watch global initiatives director Minky Worden told The Athletic that this kind of action is “very uncommon in the context of any U.S. mega-sporting event.”
The missive outlines the executive orders and changes in policy put in place by the Trump administration since his return to office in January of this year, and shares the groups’ concerns for the estimated 2.6 million visitors set to attend next year’s tournament.
“Increased immigration enforcement actions, abusive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, and broader border restrictions have also contributed to widespread fear and uncertainty,” the letter states. “Several foreign governments have already issued travel advisories to its citizens, warning of risks of being denied entry or detained and deported when traveling to the U.S.”
The letter notes that the travel bans put in place by the Trump administration block Iranian fans from attending a tournament their team has already qualified for, in addition to partial restrictions against a number of other countries who may qualify, such as Venezuela.
A number of travelers have been detained and removed by U.S. authorities since Trump returned to power. One of them, 28-year-old Becky Burke from Wales, was removed in chains and held for 19 days before being allowed to return home on 18 March. Her predicament began during a backpacking trip through North America.
Her family believed her detention resulted from a misunderstanding about her accommodation, which she received for free in exchange for helping families around the house. According to the BBC, her father thought the authorities believed she had violated the terms of her tourist visa.
Similarly, a German national and lawful permanent resident in the U.S. was detained for two months. Fabian Schmidt has lived in New Hampshire since 2022 but was detained at Logan International Airport on March 7 following a family visit in Europe.
After showing his recently renewed green card to a CBP officer, he was taken to an “interrogation room,” he told GBH News.
“As soon as I stepped foot in there, I started getting violently interrogated, verbally abused,” he told the outlet. He added that he was asked about his criminal record, including a subsequently dismissed 2016 drug misdemeanor in California and a DUI that led to fines and probation.
“Spectators from other countries remain subject to invasive and burdensome vetting procedures and the possibility of being denied travel authorization or entry due to their political or religious views,” the letter to FIFA states.
“People of all nationalities should be able to travel to the United States without fear of arbitrary denial of entry, arbitrary detention, or deportation without due process, and people in the United States should be able to exercise their right to freedom of expression without fear of arbitrary detention and deportation, and migrant communities should not live in perpetual fear of CBP and ICE raids,” the letter adds.
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