Game Plan for Change: Advancing Decent Work through the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Context

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, marks a historic first: the integration of a human rights framework into World Cup delivery by each of the 16 host cities. This milestone provides a unique opportunity to elevate international labor standards through global visibility and coordinated action between key stakeholders from the three host nations.

In July 2024, FIFA issued its "FWC26 Human Rights Framework,” a guidance document for the 16 Host City Committees responsible for organizing and delivering the tournament. Grounded in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and FIFA’s own human rights policy, the Framework advises host cities to uphold internationally recognized labor rights.

The Framework notably includes a section dedicated to workers’ rights, addressing issues such as child labor, forced labor, fair wages, occupational safety and health (OSH), non-discrimination, and grievance mechanisms. It represents an important step forward in harnessing the power of sport to advance decent work globally.

The need for action could not be more urgent. According to the ILO’s latest estimates, 28 million people are in forced labor, including 3.3 million children. 138 million children are engaged in child labor, with nearly 54 million in hazardous work. Each year, 2.9 million workers die from work-related causes, and heat stress alone is projected to lead to the loss of 80 million full-time jobs globally by 2030, costing an estimated USD 2.4 trillion annually.

Governments play a central role in addressing these abuses through effective labor market governance, law enforcement, grievance mechanisms, fair recruitment systems, and social dialogue. The 2026 FIFA World Cup offers host countries a high-profile platform to lead by example and demonstrate how global sporting events can safeguard workers’ rights and elevate labor standards, particularly in high-risk sectors such as construction, hospitality, tourism, and services.

The ILO’s normative framework provides a strong foundation for ensuring that mega sporting events contribute to advancing decent work. As host nations, the United States, Canada, and Mexico have the responsibility, and opportunity, to create favorable conditions for host cities to effectively implement ILO standards, contributing to the successful delivery of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and future mega sporting events.

Objective

As global attention turns toward the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the ILO and Thomson Reuters will co-host a closed-door, high-level roundtable on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. The event will be held under Chatham House Rule to foster open, candid dialogue and mutual learning among host countries, cities, trade unions, businesses, and other key stakeholders.

The discussion will focus on lessons learned, identifying practical implementation approaches, and fostering regional cooperation to uphold ILO labor standards. The discussion will focus on how the FWC26 Human Rights Framework can support the advancement of decent work and the meaningful application of international labor standards.

Through practical examples, the session will deepen analysis and highlight how sport and workers' rights can be linked into a coherent and actionable agenda, underscoring the shared responsibility and opportunity of the three host countries.

Provisional Programme

Forthcoming