Amnesty International calls on FIFA to take real action on human rights before giving green light to 2030 and 2034 host cities

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At what cost will the 2030 World Cup be played? Amnesty denounces human rights failures in Spain, Portugal and Morocco

Amnesty International (AI) issued a stark warning about human rights in the organisation of the 2030 World Cup, to be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. In a recent report, the organisation equated these three countries in their human rights shortcomings, stressing the need for ‘stronger and more credible’ guarantees for the tournament to meet FIFA standards. The surprise is that AI puts Spain and Portugal in the same category as Morocco in terms of human rights concerns, which is unusual for European countries.

The analysis, conducted in conjunction with the Sport and Rights Alliance (SRA), states that none of the three countries have devised sufficient human rights strategies for the tournament. According to the report, Spain, Morocco and Portugal have situations of police abuse, discrimination and racist and homophobic violence in their stadiums. AI warns of risks of forced displacement for the construction of facilities and warns that strict measures must be taken to prevent these issues from escalating with the arrival of an event of this magnitude.

Steve Cockburn, AI's head of labour rights and sport, said: ‘If Spain, Portugal and Morocco want the 2030 World Cup to be an example of respect for human rights, they must take stronger action and demonstrate their commitment to these principles. Cockburn also called on FIFA to slow down the process until countries guarantee real protection of human rights, rather than rushing to confirm the venue without a solid framework.

In addition to the 2030 bid, the report calls on FIFA to put Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 World Cup on hold. AI denounces serious human rights violations in Saudi Arabia, ranging from exploitation of migrant workers to lack of basic labour rights and repression of individual freedoms. The Gulf country's ‘kafala’ system, which controls foreign workers, limits their rights and was already the subject of controversy at the last World Cup in Qatar.

The report highlights that Saudi Arabia has yet to implement a minimum wage for migrant workers and that the country lacks trade union rights and mechanisms to prevent work-related deaths, factors that make the country a high risk for hosting an event of the scale of a World Cup. The organisation says that without profound changes, the tournament in Saudi Arabia could lead to ‘serious and widespread human rights violations’.

FIFA began to include human rights criteria in its selection process in 2026, following questions about the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which drew international attention to the poor working conditions of thousands of workers. However, AI criticises that these measures are still not sufficiently effective or rigorously applied in recent selection processes.

Saudi Arabia's bid for the 2034 World Cup is so far the only one confirmed, after it abandoned a joint project with Egypt and Greece. Meanwhile, FIFA will officially decide on 11 December on the host cities for the 2030 and 2034 tournaments at a congress that will be key for the future of these competitions and their relationship with human rights.

The bid of Spain, Morocco and Portugal for 2030, the only one still standing, also includes the possibility of holding some matches in South America - specifically in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay - to commemorate the centenary of the first World Cup. This is another aspect highlighted by AI, which highlights the logistical and organisational complexity that these matches in other continents could entail in a tournament that spans three major countries and three more in such a far-flung location.

This AI report is an important wake-up call for FIFA, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, urging them to live up to their human rights commitments and avoid a situation similar to the one in Qatar. The hosting of such events cannot be at the expense of fundamental rights, and AI hopes that these nations will take the necessary steps to avoid a negative impact on the image of global football.