Brazil calls on the UN and FIFA to combat racism

Brazil’s highest human rights body has called on the United Nations and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to take action against racism, citing racist insults directed at players, including French star Kylian Mbappé, during the tournament.

The tournament, which concludes tomorrow with the match between Spain and Argentina, has seen widespread racist messages in the stands, online, and even from politicians.

In response, black players on the Dutch national team were subjected to a barrage of online hate messages after they missed penalty shootouts against Morocco in the Round of 32.

In a statement sent to Agence France-Presse, Brazil’s National Council for Human Rights condemned “a cross-border pattern of structural racism, racial discrimination, and hate speech observed throughout the 2026 World Cup.”

The council urged the United Nations and FIFA to ensure that the host countries—the United States, Mexico, and Canada—adequately investigate and follow up on racist incidents.

Council President Ivana Lial pointed to figures released by FIFA indicating that, among more than six million monitored social media posts, 89,000 contained abusive content, including thousands of racist posts.