TY - JOUR
T1 - The 2020 EventRights Mobility Project
T2 - investigating Atlanta’s compliance with FIFA’s human rights bidding requirement in planning and designing security and safety measures for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup
AU - Dan-Azumi, David Villah
PY - 2025/10/10
Y1 - 2025/10/10
N2 - The United States, Canada, and Mexico will co-host the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup; this is the first time three countries will host the event since the Japan-Korea 2002 World Cup. However, unlike previous ones, the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup is taking place at a time when FIFA is undergoing structural and policy reforms amid widespread and increasing criticism of human rights issues surrounding the bid and award of the event to countries with questionable human rights reputation, such as Russia and more recently, Qatar. Despite the recent reforms and renewed commitment by FIFA to ensure compliance with human rights and international best practices in the bid and hosting of the World Cup, there is a need to examine the extent to which host nations comply and implement these policies to ensure that it is not business as usual. Therefore, under the 2020 EventRights Mobility Project funded by the Maria Sklodowska-Curie Foundation and part of the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, this research investigates human rights policy efforts in one of the host cities in the United States. Specifically, the research examines human rights considerations in planning and designing security and safety measures in Atlanta ahead of the World Cup. The two-month research fieldwork involved observation of the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup sports venues, interviews with policymakers, academics in Sports Management, and security personnel. The research findings show that Atlanta has comprehensive policy strategies in the context of the FIFA bidding human rights policy, a robust human rights administrative structure and a strong commitment to the protection and safety of fans and local communities during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, indicating the potential for effective integration of human rights into mega-sporting event security planning.
AB - The United States, Canada, and Mexico will co-host the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup; this is the first time three countries will host the event since the Japan-Korea 2002 World Cup. However, unlike previous ones, the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup is taking place at a time when FIFA is undergoing structural and policy reforms amid widespread and increasing criticism of human rights issues surrounding the bid and award of the event to countries with questionable human rights reputation, such as Russia and more recently, Qatar. Despite the recent reforms and renewed commitment by FIFA to ensure compliance with human rights and international best practices in the bid and hosting of the World Cup, there is a need to examine the extent to which host nations comply and implement these policies to ensure that it is not business as usual. Therefore, under the 2020 EventRights Mobility Project funded by the Maria Sklodowska-Curie Foundation and part of the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, this research investigates human rights policy efforts in one of the host cities in the United States. Specifically, the research examines human rights considerations in planning and designing security and safety measures in Atlanta ahead of the World Cup. The two-month research fieldwork involved observation of the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup sports venues, interviews with policymakers, academics in Sports Management, and security personnel. The research findings show that Atlanta has comprehensive policy strategies in the context of the FIFA bidding human rights policy, a robust human rights administrative structure and a strong commitment to the protection and safety of fans and local communities during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, indicating the potential for effective integration of human rights into mega-sporting event security planning.
KW - EventRights
KW - human rights
KW - sports mega-events (SMEs)
KW - security
KW - FIFA Men's World Cup and Atlanta
U2 - 10.1080/17430437.2025.2560171
DO - 10.1080/17430437.2025.2560171
M3 - Article
SN - 1743-0437
VL - 28
SP - 853
EP - 856
JO - Sport in Society
JF - Sport in Society
IS - 6-7
ER -