Human Exploitation and the World Cup

When most of us think about the World Cup, we think about great athletes and our favorite teams and memorable goals. Few of us think about modern day slavery. But overshadowing the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, was the shame and controversy over forced labor and human exploitation that took place behind the scenes.

Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from countries like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Philippines had been recruited to build stadiums and roads, hotels and other tournament infrastructure. Human rights groups said many workers faced conditions that amounted to forced labor or modern slavery.

Passports were confiscated. There were unpaid and delayed wages, restricted movements (including an inability to switch jobs), unsafe working conditions, and recruitment fees that left workers heavily indebted when the tournament ended.

Human exploitation often happens at international sporting events. Millions of visitors come to cities, creating huge demand for hotels and hospitality, cleaning services, food and entertainment, security and other services. Major infrastructure requires upgrading like roads and airports, rail lines and bus terminals, parking lots and stadiums. Much of this work depends on temporary labor. But while most of the work is legitimate, some of it isn’t and it’s here that human traffickers and some employers try to hide exploitative practices.

Added to this is the serious problem of counterfeit jerseys and souvenirs that flood markets during major sporting events. Counterfeit merchandise is a lucrative revenue source for organized crime networks, with some of these illicit supply chains relying on forced labor and abusive working conditions.

But at the same time, the 2026 FIFA World Cup offers some hope. Preparations in North America have included initiatives to combat this scourge. NGOs that fight modern slavery such as PACT and A21 have been running valuable awareness, training and prevention campaigns.

The US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) alerted financial institutions to the heightened risk of human trafficking and provided guidance to help them look for and identify suspicious patterns before and during the World Cup.

Trainings and events have been taking place in host cities. In Seattle, for example, the Local Organizing Committee partnered with Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST) to train up to 2,500 frontline employees in hospitality, retail, food services, security and transportation to recognize red flags associated with labor and sex trafficking.

In April, the Houston Airport System and anti-trafficking organization redM co-hosted a forum to teach businesses, frontline workers and community leaders about trafficking risks associated with the World Cup. As part of the forum, redM featured an AI avatar of me, created by Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which educated attendees about modern day slavery, as well as how to recognize signs and prevent it.

While there are still claims of abuse and surely exploitation will happen, these efforts to combat modern slavery are promising. People from so many different sectors, including government, non-profits, companies, community groups, and also frontline workers are acknowledging we have a problem and are coming together to stop abuse before it starts.

These are important steps forward in the fight against modern slavery: The earlier warning signs are identified, the more likely it is vulnerable people are protected.

And while it’s true that criminals are growing more aggressive and sophisticated—increasingly recruiting workers through online ads and using peer-to-peer payment apps and digital remittance services to obscure when wages are controlled by someone else—it’s important to recognize when progress is being made. I applaud all efforts to create procedures and protocols that can stop harm from happening.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be remembered for a lot of things like that three nations (the US, Mexico and Canada) hosted matches in sixteen cities. Or that it was the first World Cup to feature 48 teams (up from 32) and play a record-breaking 104 matches. Or that moment when Argentina’s Lionel Messi scored the third of three stunning goals to pull off a hat trick in the match against Algeria.

But it’s my hope that it might also be remembered for a growing commitment to fair play. And here, I’m not about what happens on the field. I’m talking about what takes place behind the scenes, and more particularly, how workers are treated. Because really, a global sporting event is about all of us. It’s a rare and beautiful moment, when amidst so much conflict and strife in the world, we come together to celebrate human achievement. Doesn’t it mean so much more if we’re all winners?