Footballers ought to wipe their telephones earlier than enjoying in World Cup, specialists say

Along with fans, managers, and journalists players should ‘exercise caution’ in the face of social media screening, racial profiling, increased surveillance and the threat of deportation

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The planet’s top footballers have been warned to wipe sensitive information from their phones before travelling to the World Cup.

They should limit phone use during the tournament and set up a system to keep friends and family updated on their travel plans, human rights groups have advised.

Along with fans, team managers, staff and journalists players will face social media screening, racial profiling, increased surveillance and the threat of arrest and deportation at the tournament co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

A coalition of 120 human rights experts – led by the American Civil Liberties Union – said all World Cup travellers should ‘exercise caution’.

The group issued a collective ‘travel advisory’ driven by what they say was US President Donald Trump ’s Government’s ‘violent and abusive immigration crackdown’.

It stated: “The Trump administration’s rising authoritarianism and increasing violence pose serious risks to all.”

Minority groups in particular are ‘vulnerable to serious harm’.

An immigration crackdown has been a key focus of the Trump administration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement – aka ICE – having its scope and budget expanded.

Its agents faced criticism over their methods following the fatal shooting of two US citizens protesting against the immigration crackdown.

US officials have said ICE agents will be part of World Cup security.

The American Civil Liberties Union said: “As the human rights climate in the US deteriorates it is critical for FIFA to advocate for policy changes that align with international human rights and ensure that players, fans, and journalists can participate safely.

“ICE continues to act with little accountability or regard for human dignity and should be reined in both during and beyond the FIFA World Cup games.

The Union criticised football’s governing body for failing to issue ‘concrete guarantees’ on safety for travellers ‘while its president Gianni Infantino has aligned himself closer to the Trump administration’.

In December, Infantino awarded President Trump the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize.

Two months later, Trump launched airstrikes on Iran.

Last month a report from human rights group Amnesty International said the World Cup risked becoming ‘a stage for repression and a platform for authoritarian practices’.

It said the US was ‘facing a human rights emergency marked by discriminatory immigration policies, mass detentions and arbitrary arrests by masked, armed agents’.

Amnesty’s head of economic and social justice Steve Cockburn said: “The US Government has deported more than 500,000 people from the USA in 2025 – more than six times as many people than will watch the World Cup final.

“The record-breaking surge of unlawful arrests and deportations has only been possible because of the erosion of due process safeguards, undermining the rights to liberty and security of hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees.

“These policies have torn communities apart and created a climate of fear throughout the USA.

“It’s a deeply troubling time in the US which will certainly extend to fans who want to take part in World Cup celebrations.”

Earlier this year fan group Football Supporters Europe told the BBC it was ‘extremely concerned by the ongoing militarisation of police forces in the US’.

Last week we told how experts were warning England fans heading to the tournament to protect themselves by getting ‘comprehensive’ insurance – including ‘emergency evacuation cover’.

A total of 78 of 104 matches at the tournament are scheduled to take place in the US.

The White House’s World Cup Task Force has said the tournament will be ‘the largest, safest, and most welcoming sporting event in history’.

It was working to deliver an event ‘that highlights America’s hospitality, commitment to security, and spirit of excellence’ and said fans ‘can look forward to a smooth, secure, and truly unforgettable tournament’.

A FIFA spokesman said the body was ‘committed to respecting all internationally recognised human rights’ and would ‘strive’ to protect them.

The publication of a World Cup ‘human rights strategy’ and setting up of an ‘advisory group’ were ‘evidence’ of its ‘commitment’ across ‘all key activities and actors connected to the tournament’.