Rankings based on 20 indicators from the FWC26 Human Rights Framework across three pillars: 1) inclusion and safeguarding; 2) workers' rights; and 3) access to remedy. Scores are submitted by Host City stakeholders and local subject matter experts. Published by Georgetown Law's Center for Community Health Innovation and the O'Neill Institute in collaboration with local partners in the Dignity 2026 coalition.
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Everything you need to know about the Scorecard's purpose and methodology.
The 2026 Host City Scorecard ("Scorecard") is a tool to assess 2026 FIFA World Cup Host City and Host City Committee performance (collectively "Host City") on implementation of FIFA's Human Rights Framework and corresponding Host City Human Rights Action Plans. The Scorecard tracks each Host City's performance on an ongoing basis. Scores are submitted by independent and local subject matter experts, including but not limited to labor, economic justice, criminal justice, housing, and civil rights and civil liberties groups.
Click on a Host City in the table to see the breakdown of points on individual issues. Scroll to the bottom of the individual scorecard and select "Summary" to see a qualitative explanation for each score. Host Cities may appeal the scoring decisions by selecting "appeal a score" at the bottom of the scorecard, where they will be directed to a form to provide supplemental information.
The Scorecard is a tool designed to promote public accountability by assessing how effectively the 2026 World Cup Host Cities and Host Committees (collectively "Host City") are translating their own voluntary human rights commitments into meaningful legal and policy action. Importantly, each Host City's performance is evaluated by local organizations—groups with the deepest knowledge about their cities, have the greatest stake in the outcomes, and who should be central to planning and implementing mega-events.
By highlighting both progress and opportunities for continued improvement, the Scorecard fosters informed dialogue about how the World Cup and other mega-events should be leveraged to advance long-term policy goals. The Scorecard also serves as a benchmark for assessing Host City readiness for future mega-events, including the 2028 Summer Olympic Games and the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup.
The Center for Community Health Innovation, housed at Georgetown Law's O'Neill Institute, combines policy and legal expertise with deep community collaborations to improve social determinants of health across cities in the United States. Our work recognizes that economic and job stability, housing status, healthcare access, and other social determinants are key to shaping and improving health outcomes.
Dignity 2026 is a diverse coalition of local, national, and international nonprofit groups with a long history of advocating for strong human rights standards in both the World Cup and in the cities that will be hosting the 2026 tournament. We represent the labor movement, community and economic justice campaigns, civil rights groups, sports equity activists, migrant rights organizations, LGBTQ+ rights groups, soccer supporter networks, and more.
How Host Cities are evaluated across 106 possible points.
The FIFA Human Rights Framework given to Host Cities contains 20 indicators for Host Cities to address. They receive up to 5 points for their performance in upholding the 20 indicators.
6 bonus points are for 3 indicators that the scorers have decided are not sufficiently addressed in the Framework, but should still be confronted by cities anyways. Host Cities may receive a maximum 2 points for each.
Under guidance of FIFA, Host City Committees were expected to submit and publish human rights action plans (HRAPs) that demonstrate their plans to adhere to the standard of the Framework and protect human rights during the tournament.
Just like in soccer leagues around the world, Host Cities will be deducted points for breaking the rules: if HRAPs are not published on time or at all, were not created with community stakeholder input, or lack serious implementation plans, Host Cities can lose up to 25 points.
Submitting a strong action plan with ample time for review should be the bare minimum. Therefore, cities will only lose points for their performance on these indicators.
A series of rubrics for scoring each of the categories were sent to community stakeholders in each of the Host Cities. They returned to us with their scores and reasoning for these scores, which are provided within the scorecard.
By using this system, we aim to make the scorecard a community-driven, on the ground exercise. The rubric system allows us to maintain consistency in scoring across Host Cities.
Defined terms used throughout the Scorecard, drawn from FIFA's Human Rights Framework and each Host City's Human Rights Action Plan.
The Human Rights Framework is FIFA's guidance for all 16 2026 World Cup Host Cities to ensure that the planning and the legacy of the World Cup follows internationally recognized human rights principles. The Framework is categorized along three pillars: 1) inclusion and safeguarding; 2) workers' rights; and 3) access to remedy. Each pillar is further subdivided into focus areas, with a total of 20 focus areas across all three pillars. The Framework's principles were intended to be reflected in each city's Human Rights Action Plan.
A Host City is one of 16 cities or metropolitan areas in the United States, Canada, and Mexico selected by FIFA to stage matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Each Host City is responsible for providing infrastructure, public services, transportation, safety, and security, while working with its local Host Committee and FIFA to deliver on the tournament's operational and human rights commitments.
While Human Rights Action Plans are prepared by local Host Committees, many of the commitments fall within the jurisdiction of local governments, which alone possess the legal authority, budgetary power, regulatory tools, and enforcement capacity necessary to implement them. Accordingly, for the purposes of this Scorecard, "Host City" refers collectively to the Host Committee and the relevant local government.
The Host Committee is the organization responsible for planning and delivering the FIFA World Cup within each Host City and serves as FIFA's primary local point of contact. Although the level of local government participation in Host Committee operations varies by Host City, Host Committees generally include representatives from municipal and regional governments, stadium authorities, and tourism organizations. The Host Committee is responsible for fundraising for and implementing FIFA's hosting requirements, including development of the Human Rights Action Plan.
Each Host City's Human Rights Action Plan outlines its strategy for implementing human rights commitments throughout the planning and delivery of the FIFA World Cup. Developed by the local Host Committee, these plans are intended to align with FIFA's Human Rights Framework and, in principle, to be developed in consultation with community stakeholders.
Elements of submitted HRAPs should include details about:
Per-indicator summary submitted by community stakeholders and verified by the O'Neill Institute. Select a Host City, then click any indicator to view its rationale.