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The World Cup and human trafficking: What the research reveals about the real risks at major sporting events

As United States cities prepare to host the FIFA World Cup, familiar warnings about human trafficking "spikes" have reemerged. Two decades of empirical research across major sporting events show no consistent evidence that trafficking increases due to large tournaments.
Scholars describe this phenomenon as a "flashlight effect," where increased media attention and law enforcement operations generate more reports and arrests. This happens because more people actively look for trafficking indicators, not necessarily because more exploitation is occurring.
Research shows that while online commercial sex advertisements may increase, those fluctuations are comparable to other large conventions or holiday weekends. Trafficking relies on pre-existing relationships rather than strangers abducting victims at events, according to experts Kathleen Murray Preble and Jennifer.
Focusing on high-profile events shifts resources toward short-term enforcement at the expense of sustained investment in trauma-informed care. Myth-driven campaigns can also lead to victim misidentification, as individuals who do not resemble the "typical victim" may be overlooked or criminalized.
Public attention must move from panic to precision, aligning interventions with evidence rather than event-based cycles. This requires addressing structural conditions that create vulnerability at all times, not just every four years, to support survivor-led services.

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