The FIFA Rape Cup
Makes you uncomfortable to read that, doesn't it?
It probably should. The same goes for the fact that there are at least seven (yes, seven) players, including three captains at the 2026 FIFA World Cup who have been accused of, are currently under investigation for, or have been formally charged with rape and/or sexual assault.
We, as football fans and human beings, owe it to the alleged victims to let the details of these cases be known, rather than simply saying player X is a sex offender, or Y number of players have been accused of those crimes. So here is each player with the publicly known details of each case and its status quo.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal ๐ต๐น
- Accused of raping American school teacher Kathryn Mayorga in Las Vegas in 2009.
- Case investigated by the Las Vegas Police Department in 2017
- Documents leaked by a Der Spiegel investigation revealed that in 2010, Ronaldo paid Mayorga $375k as part of a non-disclosure settlement. In the same documents Ronaldo is believed to have admitted to raping her.
- In 2019, prosecutors said the allegations cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
- In 2021, a judge recommended the lawsuit be dismissed, as Mayorga's lawyer was 'acting in bad faith' by using documents leaked by Football Leaks, which included privileged communications between Ronaldo and his lawyer.
- In 2022, Mayorga's civil lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, as another judge ruled that her lawyers' continued use of privileged information obtained through cyber-hacking violated the proper litigation process
- It was long rumoured that between his 2010 settlement and 2025, Ronaldo did not step foot in the USA as he would be subject to questioning by police. His first publicly known visit to the USA was a visit to the White House & Donald Trump last year.
- Ronaldo publicly denied the allegations and his career has not been affected whatsoever.
2. Achraf Hakimi - Morocco ๐ฒ๐ฆ
- Accused of raping a 24-year old woman in France in 2023
- Indicted that same year and placed under judicial supervision
- On 19th June 2026, an appeals court announced that he would face charges, and he is set to face a trial, although he is appealing the court's decision.
- Hakimi publicly denies these allegations, but says he trusts the justice system, though he believes there would be no case if he weren't famous.
- Hakimi's football career hasn't been affected; he's since won the UCL twice with Paris Saint-Germain and is Morocco's captain.
3. Thomas Partey - Ghana ๐ฌ๐ญ
- Currently on trial in England for 7 counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against four different complainants, with the alleged offences being committed between 2020 and 2022, while he was an Arsenal player.
- Has been arrested 3 times and bailed each time, but needs to seek permission from prosecutors/police to travel internationally.
- One of his alleged victims has publicly posted (alleged) Snapchat messages between the two of them where he admits to sexually assaulting her. She also shows that the relevant Snapchat account appears to actually belong to him.
- The same victim claimed that several figures who work for Arsenal FC failed to support her after she reached out to them.
- Moved from England to Spain shortly after charges were announced, due to a transfer to Villarreal.
- Partey continued to play for Arsenal while under investigation and was supported publicly and privately by manager Mikel Arteta and figures at the club.
- Recently barred from entering Canada for a World Cup match. He failed to disclose that he had been criminally charged on his visa application.
- His trial has been delayed to around January 2027.
4. Nabil Emad 'Dunga' - Egypt ๐ช๐ฌ
- Accused by an Italian woman to have spiked her drink and raped her at his private residence in July 2025
- The woman claims to have taken legal action, and made the allegations public last month.
- She says she's experiencing โsevere panic, ongoing trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder.โ
- Emad's lawyer strongly denies the allegations and claims there is a campaign at damaging the player's reputation, and financial blackmail.
- No legal ruling or decision has been made on this case as of yet.
5. Ryan Mendes - Cape Verde ๐จ๐ป
- Currently under investigation by New Zealand police over allegations he raped a woman in March 2026
- The woman, a Brazilian national, was hired to work with the Cape Verde national team as a translator during a FIFA Series friendly tournament. Her role was mandated and overseen by FIFA.
- Photos of the woman's alleged injuries have been posted in various publications as well as social media.
- Mendes is Cape Verde's captain and most capped player of all time.
6. Kaishu Sano - Japan ๐ฏ๐ต
- Arrested, with two co-suspects, of sexually assaulting a woman in July 2024.
- He was released from police custody 12 days later, and prosecutors decided not to indict him.
- Was excluded from the Japan NT for over a year as a result.
- In June 2025, he returned to the Japan NT.
- Later that month, Sano held an apology press conference where he said, "I am sorry that I caused a lot of trouble for many people by my actions. I would like to continue to bring out actions, words, and actions, and what I can do, and I would like to contribute to society in addition to playing."
- Explaining his decision to bring him back, Japan head coach Moriyasu said: ""I have been observing him all along, and after personally reaching out to him, I strongly felt that he is truly remorseful. When we consider each team member as part of a family, I asked myselfโas a coach facing an individual playerโwhether we should simply cast someone out of society or the football world for making a mistake. I decided it would be better, as a family, to give him a path to try again."
- Sano plays for Mainz in Germany and scored for Japan against Brazil in the Round of 32.
7. Thiago Almada - Argentina ๐ฆ๐ท
- Accused of sexual abuse in Argentina after a party in December 2020.
- The alleged victim, 28, claimed she was sexually abused by Almada and two other individuals in a house.
- Her account, which was corroborated by a witness, is that she went up to a room to have consensual sex with Almada, but drank something that made her feel ill. Almada and the two other individuals then performed 'unconsensual sexual acts' on her
- Almada was suspended by his club at the time, Velez, for one week.
- In February 2021 he and a codefendant were charged with sexual abuse & group abuse.
- Almada was called up to the Argentina NT for the 2022 World Cup. Argentina won the tournament.
- Almada has since played for Atlanta United, Botafogo, Lyon, and Atletico Madrid (where he currently plays)
- He is still awaiting a verdict on his case.