2026 FIFA World Cup

Business Readiness & Risk Management

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the largest sporting event ever held across North America, spanning the United States, Canada, and Mexico and driving unprecedented cross-border activity across hospitality, transportation, payments, infrastructure, media, workforce mobility, and digital platforms.

As the tournament unfolds, organizations connected to the World Cup ecosystem face evolving operational, regulatory, and compliance challenges involving workforce practices, financial crime, cybersecurity, vendor oversight, sponsorship activity, data governance, and cross-border transactions. Recent government guidance—including a May 2026 FIFA World Cup notice issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) concerning human trafficking risks associated with the tournament—signals heightened scrutiny for businesses operating in sectors expected to experience elevated tourism, hospitality demand, payment activity, and transient populations surrounding the event.

With lawyers across the United States and strong relationships with firms in Canada and Mexico, our team brings deep experience advising clients in sports, media, hospitality, technology, financial services, transportation, and other industries, allowing our team to help organizations capitalize on opportunities while managing risks before, during, and after the tournament.

Our lawyers have counseled US Soccer in its historic collective bargaining agreement for equal pay for the men’s and women’s teams; advised global sports leagues on mobility and workforce issues; represented sponsors, broadcasters, investors, hospitality providers, and sports organizations in sponsorship, naming rights, branding, media, and commercial rights transactions, including advising National Women’s Soccer League and Major League Soccer stakeholders on significant sponsorship and venue-related partnerships; and counseled host-city stakeholders on employment, governance, and regulatory matters. We also help clients respond to the increasingly complex cybersecurity, compliance, and reputational challenges that accompany major global events.

Topics

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Topics

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Workforce, Labor & Immigration

Companies may face heightened scrutiny involving immigration compliance, temporary labor, workplace safety, contractor classification, pay practices, and employee mobility.

Immigration strategy and visa planning through global employment and immigration
Cross-border workforce mobility for athletes, executives, vendors, contractors, and support personnel
International staffing and contingent workforce considerations
Workforce deployment, operational continuity, and event staffing planning

Wage and hour compliance and workforce pay practices
Workforce restructuring, staffing, and operational transition planning
Workplace safety, operational readiness, and emergency planning
Workplace investigations, workforce compliance, and organizational culture issues
Government contractor and workforce regulatory obligations
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), accessibility, and accommodation issues
Labor-management and workforce relations strategy
Pay equity and transparency, discrimination prevention, and workforce litigation risks
Employee conduct and workplace investigations

Sponsorships, Media & Commercial Rights

The commercial ecosystem surrounding the World Cup creates significant opportunities—and corresponding legal and operational risks—for sponsors, broadcasters, advertisers, rights holders, venues, retailers, and digital platforms to engage customers, activate sponsorships, and strengthen their brands.

Sponsorship, hospitality, licensing, and vendor agreements
Media, broadcast, streaming, and digital rights issues through telecommunications, media, and technology
Competition, exclusivity, and commercial rights issues associated with sponsorship, ticketing, and media arrangements
Athlete, influencer, and talent agreements
Ticketing, resale, promotional, sweepstakes, contest, and consumer protection compliance issues
Event activation, experiential marketing, and advertising compliance

Trademark enforcement, ambush marketing, and anti-counterfeiting strategy through trademark, copyright, advertising litigation, and brand management
Copyright, broadcast, and digital content protection
Name, image, and likeness (NIL); publicity rights; and athlete-related brand issues
Social media, platform governance, and digital engagement risks involving online tech, social media, and the metaverse

Infrastructure, Hospitality & Operations

The tournament is expected to place significant operational pressure on venues, transportation systems, lodging providers, utilities, and related service providers across host cities and tourism corridors.

Technology and vendor agreements tied to event operations

Workforce deployment and staffing considerations for event operations
Operational risk allocation, indemnity, and force majeure issues
Insurance, business interruption, and recovery planning through insurance recovery
Safeguarding, security, and vendor oversight considerations

Cybersecurity, AI & Digital Risk

The World Cup’s global digital footprint creates heightened cybersecurity, data governance, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital platform risks.

Cybersecurity preparedness and incident response
Data privacy and governance obligations
Critical infrastructure and operational resilience issues
Crisis response and communications coordination, and post-incident regulatory investigations
AI governance and operational risk
Payment systems, fintech, and transaction-monitoring considerations
Cross-border data transfers
Payment fraud and cyber-enabled misconduct
AI-related marketing, content, and intellectual property (IP) issues

International Trade, Supply Chain & Cross-Border Compliance

The World Cup is accelerating cross-border investment, procurement, logistics, and supply chain activity while increasing scrutiny related to sanctions, trade controls, sourcing, and geopolitical risk.

Export controls, sanctions, and customs issues involving international trade & national security
Trade restrictions, tariff exposure, and supply chain disruption issues
Foreign investment and national security considerations involving CFIUS
International sourcing, procurement, and logistics considerations
Supply chain and vendor compliance
Cross-border movement of personnel, equipment, and goods
Anti-corruption and anti-bribery matters

ESG, sustainability, human rights, and responsible sourcing risks

Crisis Management, Insurance & Disputes

Large-scale international events frequently generate investigations, disputes, insurance claims, reputational issues, and operational disruptions extending well beyond the tournament itself.

Executive and board counseling involving crisis management and reputation risk counseling
Internal investigations and regulatory response coordination involving white collar litigation & government investigations
Congressional, multijurisdictional, and enforcement inquiries involving congressional investigations, State Attorneys General, and government solutions
Operational crisis planning and response strategy
Workplace misconduct and harassment matters
Human trafficking and safeguarding risk assessments
Third-party and vendor oversight issues
Regulatory inquiries and enforcement actions

Insurance recovery and business interruption claims
Contract disputes, force majeure, and commercial litigation
Securities and disclosure-related disputes
Consumer class actions and mass claims

Financial Crime, AML & Regulatory Compliance

Regulators have warned of heightened risks associated with fraud, trafficking, illicit finance, and other criminal activity surrounding major sporting events.

Anti-money laundering (AML) risk assessments
Trafficking-related compliance considerations
Escalation and reporting procedures
Third-party diligence
Regulatory inquiries and investigations
Financial crime governance and controls

After the Final Whistle: How We Can Help

The legal and business implications of the World Cup often continue long after the tournament concludes. Our team stands ready to help clients navigate post-event disputes, investigations, insurance claims, employment matters, IP enforcement, regulatory scrutiny, and emerging commercial opportunities.

Insights

Explore Morgan Lewis insights examining the legal, regulatory, operational, and commercial issues shaping the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

INSIGHT