FIFA World Cup 2026 in US facing boycott over wars abroad, rights violations at home

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway in North America, an international campaign to boycott US-hosted matches has gained momentum.

The Anti-Fascist Football Coalition, representing 32 organizations, asserts that a country that is attacking Cuba while waging war on Iran, holding captive the President of Venezuela and pressing its Zionist project for colonial expansion in Gaza, should not be permitted to co-host the tournament.

The World Cup is not for the people. It has been made very clear that it is not accessible to the people.

And what is the point in enjoying this game while the US and Israel is getting away with all kinds of genocidal aggressions all across the world?

And we believe that the game should not be used to cover up for these crimes that the US and Israel are committing.

Anti-Fascist Football Coalition Member 01

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The Anti-Fascist Football Coalition have demanded that FIFA move the games from the United States, while pointing out the federation's complicity in US human rights violations within its own borders.

The deportations of migrants, the rounding up into detention halls, which is why in Delaney Hall, for example, in New York, there's 300 migrants who are in that detention center that have been going on [hunger] strike because of how bad these conditions are.

Anti-Fascist Football Coalition Member 01

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The United States is also sort of implementing or instituting different sorts of travel bans, and these are restrictions against numerous African, West Asian, and, you know, Asian countries in general, also Latin American countries.

Tamanisha John, Caribbean Solidarity Network

Campaigners highlight a double standard; punitive measures applied to countries like Russia in the past contrasted with the current whitewashing of US crimes.

Global rules only apply to the extent that it is not going against the interests, the geopolitical interests of the United States, and I think that we really have to highlight that, because that's precisely why Israel was not initially excluded, and that's also why the US is particularly targeting the Iranian team.

Tamanisha John, Caribbean Solidarity Network

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  FIFA

Reports have emerged of a massive ticket surplus, falling resale ticket prices and ticket giveaways, setting the stage for a lackluster tournament.

So, you don't have to go to the United States to enjoy these games or to enjoy games with your community, and you see that it is having an impact, because there are currently, I think, it was 188,000 seats that are not being filled.

Tamanisha John, Caribbean Solidarity Network

The opening match took place on Thursday 11th June in Mexico City.

Protests, which take aim at the US government and FIFA, are expected to be held across US cities in the coming weeks.

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