Speak Up: The Church’s Call as the World Cup Comes to North America

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Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Prov. 31:8-9)

This summer, the world will come to our “neighborhood.”

The FIFA World Cup will be in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026, marking the first time three nations jointly host the tournament. It will be the largest tournament in history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across 16 cities with the final match in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Large sporting events are exciting, but they also attract something darker. While human trafficking occurs 365 days a year, major tournaments often create spikes in human trafficking activity. When thousands of visitors flood a city, demand for commercial sex rises. And where demand rises, people who are vulnerable, often women, children, migrants, and people living in poverty, are exploited. Sometimes, the athletes themselves are victims of human trafficking, in debt to their coaches, attracted by a dream, now unable to escape.

Why This Matters to the Church

Human trafficking is the second largest and fastest growing global crime. In the United States and Canada, advocates have documented how trafficking networks shift and activate around major sporting events, international conventions, and large festivals. Victims of human trafficking are not numbers on a page. They are image-bearers of God.

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

The church is required to do justice. Northeast Community Transformation is the social justice arm of Classis Hudson and Hackensack, and with its ministry partner, Justice Network, believes prevention is possible. We are mobilizing to raise awareness, educate stakeholders, and support victims and survivors.

What We’re Planning

Justice Network is a member of the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking, a diverse, secular organization committed to ending human trafficking through prevention, education, and advocacy. Our efforts regarding the World Cup include the following:

1. Education and Outreach for Churches and Communities

We offer training for pastors, youth leaders, parents, educators, community groups, and congregations in person and virtually. In our presentations, we explain what trafficking is and what it is not. We share warning signs and remind churches that people who have experienced trafficking might already be sitting in our pews.

In April, Justice Network is hosting a music concert that will feature a presentation about trafficking and will host vendors who sell products free from labor trafficking.

In May, NECT and Justice Network are sponsors for the statewide World Cup ACT weekend that includes survivor panel discussions, HT-101 education, and breakout sessions. The NJCAHT also hosted a Law Enforcement Conference in early March.

2. Partnership with Local and Global Organizations

Many businesses want to do the right thing. They just need tools. We are partnering with the SOAP Project to bring the message to hotels across the state. Justice Network has ministry partners in the U.S. and around the globe. Locally, we participate with the NJCAHT, which connects health care workers, businesses, law enforcement, legislators, and service providers. Our approach is not accusatory. It is collaborative.

3. Survivor-Centered Support

Prevention is vital, but we also prepare for response. We learn from survivors whose insight helps shape our strategy. By coordinating with local service organizations, people who exit trafficking before, during, or after the World Cup can obtain access to safe housing, trauma-informed counseling, legal advocacy, and medical care. People who have experienced trafficking need more than escape. They need long-term support, dignity, and choice.

4. Prayer and Public Witness

Finally, at Justice Network, we are calling on churches to pray. Not vague prayers, but informed, specific intercession. On our website, we offer a World Cup Prayer Guide. Consider hosting prayer gatherings in the months leading up to June and July 2026.

Pray for prevention and for protection for the vulnerable. Pray for restoration for survivors. Pray for law enforcement to be effective, but also sensitive to victims’ needs. Pray for public awareness. And even pray for those complicit in this heinous crime. No kindergartner dreams of growing up to be a trafficker. Perpetrators are broken people too. Prayer does not replace action. It fuels it.

Public presence also matters. We are encouraging churches and their members to share accurate information on social media and to resist myths that create panic but do not protect people. Some past tournaments produced exaggerated or false claims about trafficking. We are committed to truth. Real prevention depends on credible information, not rumors.

An Invitation to Reassess

Some might wonder whether the connection between large sporting events and trafficking is overstated. Research shows that trafficking is complex and ongoing; it occurs 365 days a year, not only during major events. Yet influxes of visitors can increase demand and strain local services. Even if the spike is smaller than headlines suggest, one person exploited is one too many.

Are we willing to speak up, to prepare our communities before harm happens?

The World Cup focuses our attention. But God’s mandate for justice goes beyond one summer in 2026. Human trafficking persists in rural towns and major cities across the U.S. and Canada long after the final whistle blows.

Our Savior entered a world ruled by empire and exploitation. He saw the marginalized people that others used or ignored, and he restored them to community. As Christians, we must reflect his heart for mercy and be obedient to his requirement to do justice.

How You Can Make a Difference

If you are part of a Christian Reformed congregation, here are simple steps you can take:

• Invite Justice Network to provide a training session (in person in New Jersey or virtually elsewhere): justice-network.org/about-us/request-a-speaker.
• Include trafficking awareness and internet safety in youth ministry conversations. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has excellent free resources: missingkids.org.
• Partner with a local survivor-informed anti-trafficking organization in your region.
• Commit to regular prayer leading up to the World Cup and beyond.
• Consider donating to survivor-inclusive organizations such as the SOAP Project or organizations listed on Justice Network’s partner page: soapproject.org, justice-network.org/network-partners.
• Examine your own assumptions about people in the commercial sex industry. Many are there because of force, fraud, or coercion. A victim is never to blame for their situation.

We cannot solve human trafficking in one summer. But we can refuse to be passive. We can prepare. We can speak up. And we can bear witness to a kingdom where no one is bought or sold.

That is the kind of victory worth cheering for.