No ICE in the Cup

Preach and Teach during the World Cup

This summer, the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes to eleven American cities. Soccer is the planet's favorite sport, a language spoken across every border, every language, and every religion. It should be a moment of celebration, of unity, of pure joy.

But the world is also watching something else. As fans from across the globe prepare to gather in our streets, stadiums, and living rooms, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues an unprecedented campaign of fear in communities across the United States. Journalists have been detained. Protesters killed. Protections preventing ICE agents from storming into houses of worship, once legally protected as sanctuary spaces, have been discarded.

‍History offers a clear and recurring warning: authoritarian governments weaponize major sporting events. Vladimir Putin used the 2014 Sochi Olympics as cover for the annexation of Crimea, and Qatar used the 2022 World Cup to launder its global reputation. Adolf Hitler staged the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a global showcase. Benito Mussolini used the 1934 World Cup on Italian soil as propaganda for fascism. Argentina's military junta hosted the 1978 World Cup while conducting a campaign of torture and disappearances.

The pattern is consistent: those who use state power to crush human dignity at home will use the world's attention to strengthen their grip on power. Human Rights Watch has warned that the 2026 World Cup risks becoming "a sportswashing bonanza for the Trump administration,”  a global stage on which the cruelty visited upon immigrant communities is repackaged as American greatness.

‍Into this moment, we introduce the "No ICE in the Cup" campaign. Spearheaded by the Horizons Project, the campaign unites a big-tent coalition of civic organizations, artists, small business owners, faith communities, unions, veterans' groups, and fans across the country. This campaign calls on all Americans to stand for a World Cup that is welcoming, safe, and free from the cruelty of ICE enforcement that tears families apart and turns celebration into fear.

The "No ICE in the Cup" campaign is organizing youth soccer tournaments. watch parties, and original artwork installations to drive home a message of welcome. The campaign focuses on host cities Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Miami, and Seattle, but extends its reach to every community in America.

‍People of faith have a particular role to play. Our traditions have always called us to welcome the stranger, to protect the vulnerable, and to declare with our whole lives that every person bears the image of God. This summer, the World Cup gives us a global stage on which to do exactly that. This guide equips you to preach, teach, and act. No act is too small. We can all help our congregations and our communities understand what is at stake and what our faith demands.

About the organizers

‍The Horizons Project strengthens connections and collective action among U.S. pro-democracy movements and networks to build a just, diverse, and peaceful democracy that works for all. Horizons facilitates a “Big Tent” that is an intentionally cross-partisan, cross-sectoral coalition committed to strengthening democracy in the United States and confronting authoritarianism in all its forms—not just in a single election cycle or administration, but as a long-term, generational imperative. Big Tent participants represent a broad range of civic actors holding different roles, organizing with different audiences, geographies, and working within varying constraints. The group’s shared aim is to work for a strong democracy; protection of fundamental Constitutional freedoms; the rule of law; and free and fair elections, including the peaceful transfer of power. Learn more at horizonsproject.us.  

The faith pillar activation is led by Interfaith Alliance, a rapidly growing network of diverse faith communities taking action to defend democracy. Interfaith Alliance is partnering with Protect Democracy to lead the Choose Love, Not ICE campaign. The No ICE in the Cup campaign also coincides with Interfaith Alliance’s work to ensure the America 250 celebrations this summer tell an accurate history of the United States and don’t serve as propaganda for the Trump administration’s attempt to move us towards authoritarian theocracy.