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The Associated Press

FIFA inspectors begin evaluating Mexico’s suitability to stage men’s World Cup soccer matches in 2026 on Monday after a study commissioned for the North American bid highlighted concerns about violent attacks on female fans, human rights activists and reporters in the country.

Mexico City is the first stop on a five-day trip by the FIFA task force, which also will visit Atlanta, Toronto and the New York metropolitan area, where the bid committee proposed that the 2026 title match be played at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.

The FIFA delegation will score the rival Moroccan bid the following week before delivering assessments, which could disqualify a contender before June 13 voting in Moscow by the FIFA congress. The evaluation of bids is more stringent after concerns about the votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and rights abuses in Russia and Qatar.

FIFA mandated 2026 bidders to commission and submit independent human rights reports that weigh risks linked to the tournament. Morocco has denied requests from The Associated Press to release its report.

The North American document, prepared by human rights assessors Ergon, stated the likelihood of worker abuses is significantly reduced in the U.S., Canada and Mexico because no stadiums or significant additional infrastructure must be built. Morocco, by contrast, plans $15.8 billion in construction projects to prepare the country for what would be its first World Cup, including $3 billion to build or renovate every stadium or training facility.

But Ergon identified key risks associated with Mexico hosting 10 of the 80 games in 2026 in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, which the bid has proposed solutions to address.

“The majority of women in Mexico City have experienced some form of sexual violence (including verbal harassment and unwanted touching) in their daily commute,” Ergon wrote, citing the United Nations, “which raises issues in relation to the safety of women workers, fans and spectators when they commute to, or are inside competition buildings and spaces.”

The report also identifies a “key risk relates to discriminatory incidents,” pinpointing gay slurs by Mexican fans at matches, including one chant that translates as “male prostitute.”