Youth Demand FIFA Protect Children At World Cup 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2025
YOUTH DEMAND FIFA PROTECT CHILDREN AT WORLD CUP 2026
Equality League Youth Council Calls Out FIFA for Failing to Deliver on Child Safeguarding Promises
NEW YORK, NY — With just one year remaining until the kickoff of the most-watched sporting event in the world, the FIFA World Cup 2026, child athletes from the Equality League Youth Council are sounding the alarm: FIFA has failed to implement a child safeguarding policy—putting children at risk across 16 host cities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Risks children can face at and around mega-sporting events include abuse, sexual exploitation, trafficking and child labor.
In a video and an open letter (attached) delivered to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, young advocates, athletes, and fans from across sports—including soccer, basketball, gymnastics, and track—called on FIFA to immediately develop and enforce a comprehensive child safeguarding policy.
“We know from personal experience how quickly sports environments can become unsafe,” the letter reads. “We’ve witnessed or endured situations where adults made children and youth feel threatened, dismissed, or unsafe. With no policy in place, the World Cup could become a source of harm instead of joy.”
When FIFA awarded hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup in 2018, child safeguarding was named a top priority. Yet with just 12 months to go, there is still no public policy, no visible progress, and no transparent plan to protect children who will attend, participate, or volunteer at the event.
Leading children’s rights and human rights groups have already pressed FIFA to uphold its obligations to protect children at the world’s largest sporting event. Human Rights Watch has called out FIFA’s lack of a child safeguarding policy. In April, the Centre for Sport and Human Rights published “Keeping the Game Safe,” a report with the University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic that outlines risks to children at mega-sporting events, with concrete recommendations for FIFA and the 16 World Cup 2026 host cities.
The child athletes from Equality League are calling on FIFA to:
Establish clear rules and reporting systems to prevent abuse, exploitation, and harassment;
Require mandatory child safeguarding training for all staff and volunteers;
Implement best practices, including those outlined by UNICEF on meaningful child participation; and
Ensure monitoring, investigations, and accountability for any violations.
“The time for promises has passed. The time for action is now,” said the Equality League Youth Council letter. “FIFA must lead the sports world by protecting the youngest people in it.”
The Equality League Youth Council represents youth from around the world advocating for access, equality, and safety in sports. Their call to action comes as part of the “Dear FIFA” campaign, launching publicly on June 11, marking exactly one year until the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins.
To schedule interviews with youth leaders or Equality League representatives, contact: press@eqleague.org
About Equality League
Equality League is a global advocacy organization advancing gender equality in and through sports by changing discriminatory and abusive policies, practices, and laws. We advance gender equality by dismantling barriers to safety, equality, and access so that women and girls stay in sports to reap lifelong health, academic, financial, and leadership benefits.