# FIFA accused of blocking labour inspection at 2026 World Cup stadium

Fifa has been accused of reneging on a commitment to ensure workers’ safety on  projects by refusing inspectors access to observe conditions inside Mexico’s Azteca Stadium.

Representatives from the trade union the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) say they were told on Monday before a planned visit that they would not be allowed access to the 80,000-capacity venue, which is being renovated for the 2026 World Cup.



The BWI argues there has been minimal scrutiny of labour conditions on World Cup projects in Mexico, saying there is “systemic opacity” on information related to developments. It claims a broader agreement over “joint inspections” in the three host countries for the 2026 tournament – Mexico, the US and Canada – had been negotiated with , only for the governing body to pull out before signing.

Fifa says in  that it “strives to uphold and promote the highest international labour standards” and that it “seeks to ensure respect for labour standards by its business partners and in the various activities directly linked to its operations”.

The general secretary of the BWI, Ambet Yuson, said Fifa was “dodging its responsibility” towards workers and that the governing body for global football had failed to learn from the human rights concerns related to recent tournaments. “Fifa keeps promising the world a spectacle while dodging its responsibility to the very workers making it possible,” Yuson said. “Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, has no problem appearing in photo ops with the US president, yet Fifa can’t even guarantee basic protections for workers building its own World Cup show. “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.”

A Fifa spokesperson said: “The Azteca Stadium and its construction process is not managed by Fifa. However, in line with its human rights policy, Fifa strives to respect and promote the highest international labour standards and seeks to ensure that the rights of workers in the various activities directly related to its operations are upheld.

“Fifa, through its local team and in close cooperation with the Azteca Stadium, is actively engaging with stakeholders and monitoring the conditions offered to the workers. As part of that, the labour rights protections on site are supervised by a local union, the Confederación Autónoma de Trabajadores y Empleados de México (CATEM). In addition, the work to ensure compliance with labour standards also includes engagement with the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry (CMIC). Workers’ rights and compliance with national and international labour requirements is of the utmost importance to Fifa. We will continue to be in close contact with our Mexican office and partners in that respect.”

## Related: David Squires on … Mr Infantino’s trip to Washington and meeting with Donald Trump

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