Canada’s anti-racism strategies and the FIFA World Cup 2026
Words: Nicole P, Toronto
As Canada prepares to welcome the world for the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026, the focus goes far beyond stadium capacity and goals. Teams from across the African continent are set to compete in the tournament. The first round teams playing in my home city of Toronto include Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal.
Canada has an anti-racism strategy for 2024-2028 called “Changing Systems, Transforming Lives”. By viewing the tournament through the lens of this strategy, the federal government and host cities like Toronto and Vancouver can ensure that the tournament is marked by celebration and love of soccer, rather than the racial hostility that has scarred international soccer in recent years.
The lesson of Vinícius Júnior
There is a push for anti-racism measures in sports given the common racial abuse of athletes on the international stage.
Brazilian soccer player Vinícius Júnior is a prominent example. Subjected to monkey chants and racist slurs in Europe, his experience shows how systemic failures can leave Black athletes in a state of psychological fear.
The attacks on his skin colour not only negatively affect his own mental health but send out a message to any young athlete who may look like him. A message that screams you are not welcome into the world of sport because of your skin.
Vinícius’s struggle has also highlighted the fact that professional leagues’ processes to combat racism can still leave the situation “all down to the victim” in the moment of the game. Players are left vulnerable and isolated on the field.
Action at the federal level
In the Changing Systems: Transforming Lives anti-racism strategy, the Canadian government acknowledges that anti-Black racism is rooted in a 400-year history of enslavement and colonialism. It recognizes that anti-Black racism is not just a series of one-off incidents but is deeply rooted in institutions, often invisible to the public.
World Cup organizers can refer to this strategy to gain important insights on measures to strengthen protection for athletes and visitors. For example:
International engagement: Canada is using international engagement and social media outreach to spread the word about its racial equity goals, while also working with multilateral partners to fight anti-Black racism.
Sport integrity: Canadian Heritage is working on expanding sport program accessibility to create healthy, safe, and welcoming sport experiences and environments, which could be a great influence for World Cup organizers.
Accountability programs: The strategy includes the development of an annual anti-racism report card to track the performance of federal departments in meeting equity goals.
Local impact and legacy in Toronto
As a World Cup host, the City of Toronto has developed five legacy themes, each with an advisory body that is making recommendations.
The themes include “Human Rights, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism” and “Sport, Physical Activity, Health & Wellness”, with the latter placing a strong focus on reducing barriers to participation for children and youth, Indigenous and Black communities, women, and other equity-deserving groups.
The youth dimension
The stakes of anti-racism safeguards are high for Canada’s younger population. Racialized populations in Canada are overwhelmingly younger than non-racialized populations. And research published in 2025 found that over 40% of black students in Canada’s schools have experienced a racist incident.
The experience of racism is not just a social issue; it also impacts health. The Government has highlighted a link between limited access to safe environments and exposure to discrimination, with lower life satisfaction and poor mental health. To counter this, the federal strategy is guided by a “Trauma and Violence-Informed” approach that prioritizes safety, empathy, and compassion.
The role of global watchdogs
International watchdogs like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Sport and Rights Alliance have emphasized that words and policies must be matched by concrete action in the context of the World Cup. They have called for FIFA to have strong anti-discrimination messaging and to provide enforceable protections against racial profiling.
FIFA itself has an anti-discrimination monitoring program and has said it plans to project anti-racism messaging at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Each host city is required to develop a “human rights action plan” with measures to tackle discrimination and trafficking as well as other issues.
The importance of a safe space
The ultimate goal of all these safeguards is to ensure that a young fan from Toronto or a visiting player from an African nation can participate without fearing for their dignity.
If host cities focus on centering the principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us”, which values input from those involved, the government can ensure that those most affected by racism are the ones guiding the protective measures.
Nicole is a Toronto-based participant in Youth Media Forward: meet the Toronto participants here