Sporting Equals

Statement from Sporting Equals

As the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins today, the eyes of the world will once again turn to football. It will feature 48 teams across three host nations, underlining its scale and global reach.

At a moment when hate, division and racism continue to cast a shadow over public life, major sporting events carry a responsibility that goes far beyond spectacle. They should place inclusion, dignity and belonging at their heart, ensuring that the global game is not only watched by diverse communities, but genuinely shaped by and accessible to them. FIFA itself describes its member associations as having a role in promoting inclusion and respect on and off the pitch.

It is hugely disappointing that this World Cup has begun amid the exclusion of Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who had been set to make history as the first Somali official at a men’s World Cup before being denied entry to the United States. His exclusion is a painful reminder that representation and inclusion cannot be treated as slogans. They must be protected in practice.

Sport can give us something increasingly rare. A shared space in which difference does not have to lead to division. It can create moments of common purpose, mutual respect and collective pride. However, that only happens when organisers, governing bodies and host nations are prepared to match the language of unity with decisions that reflect fairness, openness and race equity.

As this World Cup gets underway, Sporting Equals calls on all major sports organisers and event hosts to recognise that inclusion is not an add-on to major events . It is central to their legitimacy, credibility and power to bring people together. If football is to help build more harmonious and less divided communities, then the world’s biggest tournament must reflect the values it so often claims to represent.