Behind the rumor FIFA canceled 2026 World Cup matches in US due to Trump's immigration policies
A rumor that circulated online in June 2025 claimed FIFA canceled or considered canceling U.S.-hosted 2026 World Cup matches and moving those scheduled events to Mexico or Canada — countries that are already hosting some matches.
According to social media users' posts, FIFA, the international soccer governing body, received thousands of complaints from players, coaches and fans who refused to travel to the U.S. due to concerns over stringent immigration policies imposed by President Donald Trump's administration.
For example, in early June, a TikTok user published a video (archived) announcing FIFA considered stripping the U.S. of its designation to host 2026 World Cup matches. The clip received nearly 900,000 views.
The clip's narrator recounted the story as follows:
Breaking news. FIFA is now considering stripping the United States of its right to host the 2026 World Cup, and all fingers are pointing directly at Donald Trump. Trump's latest policies are now threatening America's chance to host the world's biggest sporting event. His immigration crackdowns, trade sanctions, multiple nations have issued boycott threats, sponsors are panicking, and broadcasters fear massive global backlash. What was meant to be a global celebration has now turned into a political minefield under Trump's America First agenda.
At the core of FIFA's concern is Trump's refusal to meet their secret demands. No tax breaks, no special visa privileges, and full financial transparency. The backroom deals FIFA has quietly enjoyed for decades are finally being exposed. Will FIFA actually pull the World Cup out of the U.S., or is this just another global power play aiming to punish Trump's refusal to surrender to international pressure?
Other users also shared this rumor on Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), Threads, TikTok (archived) and X (archived).
However, searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo, as well as The Associated Press, CNN, Fox News and The Washington Post, found no credible reporting about FIFA canceling or considering relocating U.S.-hosted World Cup matches outside the U.S., at least not as of this writing in early June 2025. Rather, this matter marked the latest chapter of users sharing false or unfounded rumors, including some posts featuring the use of artificial-intelligence (AI) tools.
Snopes contacted FIFA's media relations representatives to inquire about the rumor's accuracy and will update this article with more information as it becomes available.
The aforementioned lookups of search engines located some relevant news regarding Trump's policies and the 2026 World Cup, though again no reports confirmed the central claim about FIFA deciding to move U.S.-hosted games to Canada or Mexico.
For example, in March, FIFA President Gianni Infantino met with Trump at the White House, with FIFA reporting Trump reaffirmed support for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and 2026 World Cup tournaments.
On April 25, The Associated Press reported U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, a member of the Democratic Party in Oregon, asked the Trump administration to reconsider policies impacting travelers arriving in the U.S., including citing upcoming sporting events like the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
In early May, NBC News reported members of Trump's Cabinet warned World Cup visitors to the U.S. not to overstay their visas. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also cast the tournament as "an opportunity for the world to become a friendlier place," adding, "We will take care of their documentation and travel documents, and it will go smoothly. And we will make sure that they can come and enjoy and bring their families and friends and make memories together."
On May 13, Politico (archived) reported the details of a letter (archived) the Human Rights Watch organization addressed to Infantino. The letter cited Human Rights Watch's "grave concerns" about Trump's immigration policies, and urged Infantino to be "prepared to reconsider the hosting decision" if the safety of fans and players couldn't be guaranteed. Other reports told of concerns about long visa appointment wait times, as well as European countries issuing travel advisories for the U.S.
Two days later, on May 15, Reuters (archived) reported Infantino reassured that "the world is welcome in America," referencing the 2025 and 2026 tournaments.
Trump's travel ban, which targets 12 countries and adds restrictions on others, includes exceptions 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."
For further reading, a previous fact check examined the time Budweiser deleted a social media post around the time of an announcement concerning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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Baio, Ariana. "Fears That Trump Reforms Could Keep World Cup 2026 Fans out of the US." The Independent, 31 Jan. 2025, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/visa-world-cup-2026-us-trump-b2689395.html.
Boykoff, Jules, and Dave Zirin. "With ICE Out of Control, How Can the US Cohost the 2026 World Cup?" The Nation, 31 Mar. 2025, https://www.thenation.com/article/world/ice-fifa-world-cup-north-america/.
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Cooper, Jonathan J. "Trump Will Lead Task Force Preparing for 2026 World Cup." The Associated Press, 7 Mar. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/trump-fifa-world-cup-task-force-dba6def9a56cd1c48be592e1725d4a6a.
"DuckDuckGo - Protection. Privacy. Peace of Mind." DuckDuckGo, https://duckduckgo.com.
Dunbar, Graham. "What the Trump Travel Ban Means for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games." The Associated Press, 5 June 2025, https://apnews.com/article/explainer-trump-travel-ban-world-cup-olympics-d9929b9c6316c17c597fcd67691404e1.
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Leira, Javier. "US Will Welcome International Fans for World Cup, Says FIFA President." Reuters, 15 May 2025, https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/us-will-welcome-international-fans-world-cup-says-fifa-president-2025-05-15/.
"Letter to FIFA Re. Human Rights Responsibilities in 2026 World Cup." Human Rights Watch, 6 May 2025, https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/05/06/letter-fifa-re-human-rights-responsibilities-2026-world-cup.
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Peterson, Anne M. "Wyden Asks Trump Administration Officials to Reconsider Travel Policies Ahead of the World Cup." The Associated Press, 25 Apr. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/immigration-restrictions-soccer-olympics-f5927272df3a1ff93153e61424ffc4a1.
"Restricting The Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats." The White House, 4 June 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/06/restricting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-united-states-from-foreign-terrorists-and-other-national-security-and-public-safety-threats/.
Tabet, Alex. "Trump's Cabinet Members Warn FIFA World Cup Visitors Not to Overstay Their Visas." NBC News, 6 May 2025, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-officials-warn-fifa-world-cup-visitors-not-overstay-visas-rcna205236.
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"US President Donald Trump Reaffirms Support for FIFA Tournaments during Meeting with Gianni Infantino." Inside FIFA, 7 Mar. 2025, https://inside.fifa.com/organisation/president/news/origin1904-p.cxm.fifa.com/us-president-donald-trump-meeting-gianni-infantino-reaffirms-support-fifa-tournaments.
"View the FIFA World Cup 26TM Match Schedule." FIFA, https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/match-schedule-fixtures-results-teams-stadiums.
Walker, Ali. "Top Human Rights Group Challenges FIFA over Trump and 2026 World Cup." POLITICO, 13 May 2025, https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-fifa-world-cup-2026-gianni-infantino-us-canada-mexico/.
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