Dozens of advocacy organizations have issued a formal travel advisory warning that visitors to the United States for the 2026 World Cup may encounter serious human rights risks, including arbitrary detention and deportation.
The advisory, released on Thursday and endorsed by groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP, arrives less than two months before the tournament opens in Mexico. Organizers will stage matches across the United States, Mexico and Canada, with the World Cup scheduled to begin in June and 104 games planned in total.
According to the advisory, fans, players, journalists and other visitors could face racial profiling, have electronic devices searched, or be subject to cruel or inhuman treatment should they be placed in immigration detention facilities while in the U.S. The groups singled out people from immigrant communities, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ individuals as those "most vulnerable to serious harm" when traveling to the country.
As a result, the coalition urged prospective visitors to exercise heightened caution and to adopt emergency contingency plans in case they encounter enforcement actions or other rights violations. The advisory frames the risk environment in the context of what it calls a widespread immigration crackdown by the Trump administration and an erosion of federal protections for racial minorities and LGBTQ people.
In a statement quoted in the advisory, the ACLU addressed FIFA directly: "FIFA has unique leverage right now to pressure the U.S. government to respect the fundamental human rights of every person visiting and attending the games, as well as those working and living in the 11 U.S. host cities." The statement continued: "That’s why the ACLU and other members of the Dignity 2026 Coalition have been urging FIFA to act. But FIFA has yet to offer meaningful assurances."
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
FIFA issued its own statement reiterating a commitment to human rights: "As per article 3 of the FIFA Statutes, FIFA is committed to respecting all internationally recognized human rights and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights." The organization pointed to several actions and a special rights advisory group as "evidence of FIFA’s commitment to human rights across all key activities and actors connected to the tournament."
The travel advisory follows a March statement from Amnesty International that warned the tournament is moving away from the "safe, free and inclusive" event FIFA had originally promised. In the United States, 11 cities will host matches, including East Rutherford, New Jersey, near New York, where the championship match is scheduled to be played.
Context and next steps
The advisory highlights both immediate concerns for individuals planning travel to U.S. host cities and a broader push by rights groups for stronger guarantees from FIFA and U.S. authorities. The organizations are urging tangible assurances to reduce the risk of harm for visitors and residents in host cities during the tournament period.