Amnesty International has welcomed a report drafted by QUB Law students in respect of potential human rights implications which may arise during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The competition, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States of America, marks the first time that FIFA has applied a discrete human rights criterion in the selection of host state(s). The report details a series of areas for consideration and attention, from labour and housing issues, to migration, privacy, immigration and the environment.

In response to the report, Amnesty International’s Head of Economic and Social Justice Stephen Cockburn stated:

This analysis of the potential impacts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is an extremely useful resource to help Amnesty identify key human rights risks associated with the tournament in order to shape our advocacy work. There is a growing recognition of the need for mega-sporting events to identify and address human rights risks, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and this analysis shows the breadth of those risks that must be addressed.

The report was drafted by a group of Senior Status and PhD students at the School of Law under the supervision of Dr Conall Mallory, the programme director for the International Human Rights Law LLM. It is the latest in a long-running initiative under the auspices of the QUB Human Rights Centre where student’s use their research and drafting skills to provide a material contribution to the work of human rights activists. Patrick Fisher, one of the students involved in the project noted that "Participation in the project gave me valuable insight into how a collaborative piece of research is built from the ground up. Being able to work with a group of enthusiastic peers was a rewarding experience. I enjoyed being part of the planning process, and it was satisfying to see all the different parts come together to form a cohesive final product." Patrick was joined in authoring the report by Anna Montgomery, Dallas Mustard, David Browne, Jack Levelt, Joseph Eskander, Karena McErlean and Tiaré Marko.

The full report is available here.