Trump travel ban: Will Iran travel for 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Hindustan Times

14 hours ago

USA, Canada, and Mexico are all set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup together. However, President Donald Trump's latest travel ban has posed questions about whether certain qualified countries will now be allowed to travel to the US and take part.
Starting Monday (June 9), citizens of 12 countries will no longer be allowed to get a US visa, according to a recent decision by Trump. Citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen have been banned by Trump and tighter restrictions have been applied to seven other nations (Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela).
Trump explained his move by stating in a video, 'The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country, by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas. We don't want them.'
As of now, Iran is the only country from the list to have already qualified to compete in the FIFA World Cup next year. Cuba, Sudan, and Haiti are currently in contention to contest. Venezuela is five points off the threshold for automatic qualification but a playoff might just cut the deal. Sierra Leone can still be involved through multiple playoff games while Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, and Libya have very slim chances.
Under the current policy, sports teams of qualifying countries should still be able to contest since such a provision have been provided for 'any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.'
However, this exception will only continue as long as there is no change to the current ban policy adopted by the US.
Iranian fans hoping to catch their national team in the spotlight won't be so lucky however since the policy provides no such exceptions for fans of sporting teams. Getting an American visa had already been tough for Iranians even before the ban was implemented due to tougher vetting procedures. However, considering how those indulging in international travel for sporting events are usually from a higher wealth bracket, such individuals could still try to circumvent the process by using different passport options.
The move has stirred a debate about the intersection of politics with global sport. Back in 2017, FIFA President Gianni Infantino had said, "Any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup." Infantino has since developed close ties with Trump and has re-emphasized that sporting teams of all countries will face no barriers in coming to the US for participation next year. The event is expected to raise a majority of the soccer body's revenue in the 2023-2026 period.
Questions have also been raised about the US' legitimacy to hold the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games with such strict travel policies against certain participating countries.