The Sport and Rights Alliance said the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada will be a bonanza of sportswashing and called for stronger measures to protect individual rights at the tournament. The group said the Trump administration is using sport as a political tool to "cover up abuses."

Minky Worden defined the term in remarks ahead of the tournament. "Sportswashing is the practice of using a beloved sporting event to attract fans and positive coverage that might also serve to cover up serious human rights abuses," Worden said. "This was supposed to be the first ever World Cup with a human rights framework: key protections for workers, fans, players and communities. Instead, the US administration's brutal immigration crackdown, discriminatory policies and threats to press freedom mean the tournament risks being defined by exclusion and fear."

A Human Rights Watch report found that of the 16 host cities, only Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Vancouver had published mandatory "Host City Human Rights Action Plans." She also addressed the role of the U.S. president. "In the United States, Donald Trump has made a singular effort to weaponise sports, both to cover up the aggressive immigration enforcement campaign and also to present the impression that this World Cup is a safe and fun event," she said.

Lise Klaveness, President of the Norwegian Football Federation, said the tournament must be open to all attendees. "We are very concerned that it should be inclusive and safe for everybody regardless of ethnicity, which country you come from, your sexual orientation," she said.

The inaugural Fifa peace prize was presented by Gianni Infantino to Trump at the World Cup draw in December without seeking approval from the Fifa Council. FairSquare wrote a letter of complaint to Fifa's ethics committee regarding the award, stating that the process, along with comments made by Infantino, breached Fifa's duty of political neutrality and were contrary to Fifa's statutes.

The Norwegian Football Federation will write a letter in support of an investigation into the awarding of the prize. "There should be checks and balances on these issues, and this complaint from FairSquare should be treated with a transparent timeline, and the reasoning and the conclusion should be transparent," Klaveness said. Fifa's annual congress will be held in Vancouver.