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Dozens of American unions and civil society groups have expressed “deep concern” about the possible impact of the Trump administration’s immigration policies on FIFA’s ongoing Club World Cup and the 2026 Men’s World Cup.
Millions of soccer fans from dozens of countries are expected to flock to the U.S next summer to see 78 World Cup matches in 11 American cities, and the groups warned in a letter sent earlier this month to FIFA president Gianni Infantino that Trump’s policies are a “serious threat” to travelers.
“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 United States to attend the tournaments, and the constitutional rights of the many immigrants who already live, work, and contribute meaningfully to the cities selected to host them,” the letter reads. “FIFA should publicly recognize the severity of the risks that U.S. government policies and practices pose to FIFA tournament attendees and migrant communities in the U.S. and publicly urge President Trump to reverse these policies and practices.”
Among the concerns are that travelers to the U.S with prior authorization could nonetheless be detained at ports of entry and that individuals could face deportation after expressing their political opinions. It also highlights poor conditions in detention centers and the practice of deporting migrants to third-party states such as El Salvador. It also notes an executive order signed by the Trump administration limiting or restricting travelers from 19 countries.
“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 says. “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.”
Signatories include several state and regional AFL-CIO councils, among them the New York City Central Labor Council, UNITE HERE which represents concessions workers at a number of stadiums in the U.S, a half dozen locals of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees — whose members work many live events — and others. The American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, the NAACP and the New York Immigration Coalition also signed the letter.
Infantino: ‘Not a concern’
Another signatory is Local 32 BJ of the Service Employees International Union, a majority-immigrant union that recently prevailed in a suit blocking the Trump Administration from ending protections for Haitian immigrants.
“We are deeply concerned about the Trump Administration’s cruel anti-immigrant policies and mass deportation agenda — and we are committed to fighting against it in every possible arena," the union's executive vice president, Kevin Brown, said in a statement. "FIFA should use its influence and act now to address the harm the Trump Administration’s policies pose to both incoming visitors and immigrant communities in the U.S."
FIFA leadership has yet to directly respond to the letter but in a response to an earlier letter outlining similar concerns about the Trump administration’s immigration policies from Human Rights Watch, Kevin Lamour, FIFA’s chief operating officer, wrote that “FIFA is committed to play its part, amongst all stakeholders, in ensuring respect for human rights in matters linked to any of its activities.”
“Ahead of the FWC2026, FIFA is actively working on this matter with the relevant authorities, including, in the United States, The White House, the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” said Lamour. “If FIFA becomes aware of potentially adverse human rights impacts, whether through our proactive measures and monitoring or a submission to FIFA's human rights grievance mechanism, we will engage with the relevant authorities in line with established protocols."
Infantino has so far embraced Trump, appearing with him in the Oval Office in early June to promote the Club World Cup, a newly expanded tournament of soccer clubs from around the world being held on U.S soil. Asked directly during that appearance if he was worried about Trump’s travel restrictions, Infantino said it was “not a concern” and “everything is great,” pointing out that what the organization learns from this year's tournament will help them plan for the 2026 World Cup.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection fanned the flames of fear last month, writing in a now-deleted social media post just before the Club World Cup began that agents were “suited and booted ready to provide security for the first round of games."
Infantino has repeatedly attempted to smooth over domestic and international concerns over labor and human rights violations of countries hosting FIFA’s massive international tournaments.
The 2022 World Cup was held in Qatar, a nation infamous for its discrimination against the LGBTQ community. Stadiums for the tournament were built by an overwhelmingly migrant workforce that labored in deadly heat for poverty wages and faced such dire conditions that hundreds of workers died on projects related to the tournament.
On the eve of that World Cup, Infantino raged against the criticism brought by Western journalists and advocacy organizations such as Amnesty International against the Qatari government, suggesting that Europeans were being hypocritical in their criticisms of Qatari human rights policies. Pointing out that he was bullied as a child for having red hair and freckles, Infantino said during his nearly hour-long diatribe that he understood the plight of the LGBTQ community and migrant workers.
“Today I feel Qatari,” he famously said in defense of the host nation, where Infantino now primarily lives. “Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel [like] a migrant worker.”
FIFA later awarded the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, which, like Qatar, lacks a historic soccer legacy and has a shoddy record when it comes to rights for women, workers and the LGBTQ community.
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