As a record 48 countries battle for the World Cup, religious freedom remains an elusive goal in many of the nations competing, a Catholic charity has warned.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup – the largest in the competition’s history – kicked off on June 11 across the United States, Mexico and Canada, and will run until July 19.
But behind the headlines about which teams will qualify for the knockout stages, millions of people living in 14 of the participating countries continue to face restrictions on their freedom of religion or belief, according to Marta Petrosillo, editor-in-chief of Aid to the Church in Need’s (ACN) Religious Freedom in the World report.
