As preparations continue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup scheduled to be held in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to ban citizens of 15 nations qualified for the tournament from entering the United States. According to an official memo released by the U.S. State Department on Wednesday, entry has now been banned for individuals from a total of 75 countries across the globe. The White House revealed that this policy, which came into effect on January 1st, is a measure taken to ensure U.S. national security. Furthermore, enforcement of this order for the countries recently added to this list will commence on the 21st of this month.
The decision caused the greatest shock due to the inclusion of football powerhouse Brazil on this list. In addition to Brazil, Morocco and Haiti—who are in Group C alongside Scotland—are also among the listed nations. The World Cup nations banned from entering the U.S. include Algeria, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Iran, Uruguay, Jordan, Senegal, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan. Among these, entry has been completely banned for citizens of Haiti and Iran. However, apart from these two nations, visa issuance for individuals from the remaining countries is arranged to proceed only after very thorough record checks and strict vetting. Additionally, conditions regarding the applicant’s age, health status, and English language proficiency have been set for visa applications.
Despite these strict measures, it has been decided to grant exemptions in certain special circumstances. These include U.S. permanent residents, those currently holding visas, and diplomats. Most importantly, since athletes traveling for major sports tournaments are exempt from this decision, the national teams of those countries will not lose the opportunity to play in the tournament. However, even if the teams are able to play, concerns have been raised that the excitement of the tournament will be affected if fans cannot travel. It is anticipated that stadiums may lack supporters and feel desolate, particularly during matches scheduled to be played in Foxborough and Miami.
