"Fifa accused of blocking labour inspection at 2026 World Cup stadium", 11 March 2025

...Fifa has been accused of reneging on a commitment to ensure workers’ safety on World Cup 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 Fifa, only for the governing body to pull out before signing.

Fifa says in its human rights policy 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 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 US president, yet Fifa can’t even guarantee basic protections for workers building its own World Cup show...