Let the Games Begin

Every four years, I eagerly await the World Cup. Some of my best memories growing up involve gathering with community to watch matches and getting swept up in the excitement and joy of the game.  

Soccer is the world's most popular sport, with an estimated 3.5 billion fans around the globe. The World Cup is one of the few events that truly captures the attention of the entire world. The joy of the game, the pride people feel in representing their communities and countries, and the connections that form among strangers are all part of what makes the World Cup so special.  

This World Cup feels different to me. While I'm so excited about the World Cup events taking place in California and across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, I’m also holding a lot of nuance, tension and concern. Millions of fans—and dollars—will be pouring in. Millions are also concerned about their safety given the heightened immigration enforcement that has been ramped up for these events. Many fans—including from my own community— are unable to travel to the U.S due to travel bans. What stands out most to me is that while the World Cup offers a much-needed opportunity for joy and global connection, it is also unfolding at a time when we are striving to uphold and strengthen many of the values that we hold dear.  

This World Cup presents so much more than watching matches. It is an opportunity to stand up for welcoming ideals, affordability, protection for immigrant communities, corporate accountability, multiracial democracy, and more.

Re-Embracing Welcome

At Haas Jr., we are working with partners to make the most of this moment by organizing business, labor, faith communities, and other sectors to stand up for immigrant families and communities at a time when anti-immigrant rhetoric and federal policies are creating so much harm and fear. As an example, the Welcome Standard is a nationwide campaign we’re supporting to make sure we create safe, welcoming environments for millions of fans and local communities taking part in World Cup activities; this includes local community events given the exorbitant costs to attend matches in person.

Led by the Horizons Project, the coalition behind this campaign has been recruiting businesses that commit to creating welcoming spaces where customers, visitors, and workers can find community and enjoy the games and festivities without fear, regardless of their immigration status, language, or nationality.  

With the World Cup expected to generate $30 billion in economic impact across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, this is a chance for businesses to send a powerful message of inclusiveness and belonging. The campaign also provides businesses with resources and guidance on how to protect themselves, their workers, and their customers from unjust and unlawful immigration enforcement.  

Solidarity … and Safety

The Horizons Project and coalition partners are also helping assure that the World Cup is a safe event for our immigrant neighbors. Called “No ICE in the Cup,” the campaign unites artists, organizers, athletes, small business owners, and others to ensure that immigrants can experience the joy of the World Cup without facing harassment, arrest, or deportation.

Among the campaign’s signature activities: organizing “NICE Brigades” of veterans, faith leaders, small businesses, and lawyers to send a welcoming message to immigrants and international visitors, provide support, and when and if ICE shows up in their communities. Others are demanding a moratorium and end of discriminatory and harmful enforcement.

“Soccer has long been a unifying force that transcends borders and backgrounds,” said Julia Roig, founder and chief network weaver with The Horizons Project. “This campaign demonstrates what’s possible when we organize across ideologies and sectors and create spaces where all people—regardless of immigration status—can gather, celebrate and experience community without fear.”

Showing Up

I will be watching as many of the World Cup games as I can in the weeks to come, but I will also be watching the response to this global event—in our communities, among local businesses, and at all levels of government. This is our chance to show up not just for our favorite teams and players, but also for the democratic and humanitarian principles we cherish.

If you or your organization want to support or participate in some of the great work that is happening around the World Cup, please check out these organizations that are doing tremendous work to bring joy, safety and community to the World Cup:

• Horizons Project—Cosponsor of the Welcome Standard with the American Sustainable Business Network, and leader of the “No ICE in the Cup” campaign with 200+ community partners across the U.S.
• Our COPA 26 and Mijente Support Committee—These two organizations developed a platform for organizing watch parties, local tournaments, podcasts, and more; for ensuring that every fan can celebrate safely.
• Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) - The group organized a recent briefing, World Cup & the Defense of Human Rights, for their members detailing some of the opportunities for funders to advance and support human rights efforts around the Cup.  

Enjoy the games. I know I will!