FIFA is accused of going back on its promise to ensure the safety of workers on World Cup-related projects, as it refused to allow inspectors to assess the conditions inside Mexico’s Azteca Stadium. 

Representatives from the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) trade union stated that they were informed, just before their planned visit, that they would not be granted access to the 80,000-capacity Azteca Stadium. The stadium is currently being renovated in preparation for the 2026 World Cup. 

The BWI says there has been an oversight of labour conditions on World Cup projects in Mexico, with a lot of information kept hidden. The union also claims that FIFA had agreed to joint inspections in the three host countries– Mexico, the US, and Canada– but pulled out before the deal was finalised. 

Ambet Yuson, the general secretary of the BWI, said that FIFA was “dodging its responsibility” to workers and that the global football governing body had failed to address human rights issues raised during recent tournaments. 

Yuson stated: “Fifa keeps promising the world a spectacle while dodging its responsibility to the very workers making it possible… They learned nothing from Qatar and Russia. No more excuses. No more delays. Fifa must act now, or North America 2026 Fifa World Cup will be another case of broken promises and neglected workers.” 

However, FIFA says in its human rights policy that it “strives to uphold and promote the highest int...