Mexico: FIFA accused of withdrawing from independent inspection commitments after union denied access to assess conditions at stadium
"FIFA accused of blocking workers’ rights inspection at World Cup 2026 venue in Mexico", 11 March 2025
The Building and Wood Workers’ Union (BWI) says its representatives were due to assess the workers’ conditions at Mexico’s Estadio Azteca...in a planned visit but were denied access...
BWI says that FIFA has withdrawn from its commitments to allow independent inspections, despite having an agreement in place for the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar…
The Athletic has reached out to CATEM, a local union, for comment.
The BWI says that it had an agreement with FIFA over providing inspections for the North American World Cup sites, including in Mexico, but [FIFA] stepped away before signing...
“The Azteca Stadium and its construction process is not managed by FIFA,” FIFA’s statement read....
“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 Empelados de México (CATEM).
“…the work to ensure compliance with labour standards also includes engagement with the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry (CMIC)...We will continue to be in close contact with our Mexican office and partners in that respect.”