Mexico City, 11 March 2025 – FIFA is once again putting profit over people. While the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar allowed joint inspections to ensure safe working conditions and decent work standards, in Mexico, corporate interests are blocking democratic unions.

The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), the global construction union federation was on the ground at the Azteca Stadium today, one of the flagship venues for the 2026 World Cup, undergoing important renovation works, but was denied access to check on workers’ conditions. With just over a year to go, there is virtually no scrutiny of labour rights at Mexico’s World Cup sites, because FIFA refuses to act.

Despite prior negotiations with FIFA and willingness from local authorities to engage, FIFA has withdrawn from commitments to allow independent inspections. Its refusal raises serious concerns about its human rights obligations and its responsibility to prevent exploitation in World Cup-related infrastructure projects.

BWI has a proven track record of improving labour conditions in mega-sporting events, from South Africa 2010 to Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022, as well as the Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics. Building on past cooperation with FIFA, an agreement for joint inspections in Mexico, US and Canada was negotiated, but FIFA pulled out before signing, blocking independent oversight at dangerous construction sites.

Mexico’s construction industry: a dangerous status quo

Mexico’s construction industry is one of the most dangerous in the country, with high accident rates, rampant informality, and union density at just 7%. Migrant workers, particularly from Central America, are among the most vulnerable, often trapped in low-wage, unprotected jobs.

The government’s labour reforms under President López Obrador marked a historic shift, breaking decades of corporate-controlled unionism and opening space for independent worker representation. But construction remains a battleground: deeply infiltrated by criminal networks and still dominated by employer-aligned unions that suppress real collective bargaining. FIFA’s refusal to engage with BWI and democratic unions only reinforces this rigged system.

“Without democratic organizing, there is no way to ensure that workers’ rights on-site are respected. The mere presence of a union is not enough; real protections require a truly independent voice for workers, not structures aligned with employers’ interests,” said the President of CIT, Federal Deputy Napoleón Gómez Urrutia.

FIFA’s responsibility

FIFA has an undeniable responsibility to uphold human rights in its tournaments, as enshrined in its own statutes. The 2024 FIFA Remedy and Legacy Report on Qatar admitted its failure to protect workers in 2022. But instead of using these lessons to safeguard workers in the North America 2026 World Cup, FIFA is once again abandoning oversight.

“FIFA keeps promising the world a spectacle while dodging its responsibility to the very workers making it possible. FIFA’s President Gianni Infantino has no problem appearing in photo ops with the U.S. President, yet FIFA can’t even guarantee basic protections for workers building its own World Cup show. If FIFA can organize multimillion-dollar sponsorships and VIP experiences, surely it can ensure workers have decent wages and safe conditions,” said Ambet Yuson, BWI General Secretary.

“They learned nothing from Qatar and Russia. No more excuses. No more delays. FIFA must act now, or North America 2026 FIFA World Cup will be another case of broken promises and neglected workers.” Yuson concluded.

“FIFA must be held accountable and stop obstructing independent oversight and take responsibility for the conditions in its stadiums. If it fails to act, it won’t just be a scandal for Mexico, it will set a dangerous precedent for the 2030 World Cup in three continents, including Latin America, and 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia,” said Raimundo Ribeiro, from SINTRAPAV PR CUT Brazil, BWI Vice- President for Latin American and the Caribbean.

Press Conference:

The developments will be formally presented at our press conference today, 11^th March 2025, at 10:30 AM Mexico Time (GMT-6), at the Miners’ Union (Confederación Internacional de Trabajadores - CIT) in Mexico City. While the event is in Mexico, we hope that this announcement is relevant globally and regionally, and we appreciate your coverage.

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