The Houston host committee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is committing to requiring vendors to provide a $15 hourly minimum wage and commit to certain anti-trafficking guidelines, under a new report unveiled Monday.
FIFA requires each host city for the World Cup to share a plan for protecting human rights for the duration of the international soccer tournament. Houston’s host committee calls its 40-page plan “Houston’s promise that the world’s most celebrated sporting event will be a catalyst for dignity and fairness.”
“We have a low rate of unions across the state,” Minal Davis, the chief legacy officer for the Houston host committee, told Houston Public Media. “We have a low minimum wage. Those are just two of many facets of making sure you’re promoting decent work and prohibiting certain types of exploitation. So, one of the big things that we chose to focus on is our responsible contracting policy as the mitigation for multiple workers’ rights issues that came up from our local labor stakeholders.”
The Houston host committee based its criteria on the precedent established by the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964, United Nations’ guiding principles and FIFA’s existing guidelines.
In preparation, the host committee said it consulted more than 100 stakeholders and government officials to address six prioritized categories: workers’ rights; inclusion and non-discrimination; safety and security; human trafficking; accessibility; and unsheltered populations.
As well as the $15-per-hour minimum wage, the Houston host committee is also creating a worker support hub for employees to file complaints and find support services, among other employment resources.
Much of the human rights plan focuses on labor and the prevention of trafficked labor. It also addresses sex trafficking by committing to a social media awareness related to prevention. A toolkit with information on prevention will be available later in the spring.
Though officials cautioned against the sensationalizing of sex trafficking ahead of the World Cup, they note that sex work could lead to issues in Houston.
“We have the Netherlands that is coming to Houston, and, in that country, [sex work] is legal,” Davis said. “It’s highly regulated, but it’s legal to purchase and sell commercial sex. In Texas, it’s a first-time felony.”
Much of the host committee’s work to expand accessibility will happen with the fan festival, which could have an international presence. As such, the festival will place an emphasis on universal symbols, like an airport would, as well as offering food and drinks that accommodate a global audience. Other features will include accommodations for mobility, visual impairment, hearing impairment and service animals.
The host committee said it will also develop a peaceful demonstration toolkit for any people seeking to protest aspects of the World Cup or its teams.
The report also noted stakeholders “stressed the importance of ensuring that hosting the [World Cup] does not result in the displacement or criminalization of unsheltered residents.” As such, the host committee said it is prioritizing collaboration with existing city resources, as well as mapping encampments to “identify any overlap with footprint areas.”
Notedly, FIFA will be in charge of addressing action around NRG Stadium as well as any base camps or volunteer centers in Houston. The host committee, in turn, will be responsible for public safety, transportation, local suppliers and the fan festival organized by the host committee.
FIFA is responsible for discussions of immigration enforcement, rather than the Houston host committee. The league is working with a White House task force devoted to the World Cup.
