Joint bid for 2026 World Cup is still at risk
An independent study on human rights in North America, given to FIFA by the Candidacy of Canada, the United States and Mexico to host the 2026 World Cup, detected some red flags such as discrimination, insecurity, violence and even foreign policy that, from now on, they have been placed as areas for improvement in the three nations.
A study on the candidates for the 2026 World Cup, carried out by the organizing committee itself, was revealed a few days ago, and performed in four cities of the candidacy, being the City of Mexico, Toronto, New York and Washington DC. In total, a report was delivered with an emphasis on seven topics such as the environmental impact, sustainability of the event, innovation, commitment to the fans, the government and the two of human rights that were the focus of attention.
For instance, in Mexico, despite the efforts to end discrimination in the stadiums, the shout of ‘puto’ remains. "Screaming 'puto' is a public form of discrimination and prevails in Mexico and in some parts of the United States (and other countries). This cry, along with other racial, gender and sexual orientation insults, can generate a hostile and discriminatory environment for fans, players and officials in the stadium. Eradicating the discriminatory behavior of fans is a focus for Major League Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation with its 'Do not cross the line' and 'Embraced for Soccer' campaigns, respectively”, the study reads.
Another point to improve is the security for journalists. "The three countries have strong laws to protect freedom of expression for journalists and presenters. There are some challenges in some regions of Mexico because of reported violence and treatment against journalists”, reads part of the report. "An additional risk," they reiterate, "is related to the existing levels of violence and harassment against journalists that have been reported in some host countries, particularly in some parts of Mexico."
Nothing new for readers. On the subject of violence, they highlight that "in Mexico, reported violence is a concern and represents a threat to the right to life, personal security and other human rights," while in the analysis of gender-based violence against women, it says: "To address this, Mexico has led an improvement in gender equality in football as a focus of the social legacy linked to the 2026 World Cup. However, despite the undeniable progress that has been made on women's rights and equal opportunities, there are still many obstacles in relation to work, health, education and politics, where different forms of gender violence persist ".
Before coming to the subject of the drug cartels, they point out that in Mexico the lack of transparency is a focus to improve. "Freedom of association is also a risk in Mexico; the lack of transparency and availability of mechanisms on grievance and responsibility are another risk ".
About violence linked to drugs, they wrote: "The cartels and drug-related violence in the United States and Mexico could be an additional risk for security personnel for fans and delegations, although most of the violence related to the cartels and gangs that have been reported says that it is between gangs or with the police”. Taking all this into account, would it be fair to say that all the countries involved in the candidacy put it at risk? Based on the report, the red flags came all from Mexico, and maybe some parts of the United States. Does the joint candidacy have real possibilities?