Players to have social media screened before entering US for World Cup
Around 1,000 players from 31 competing nations – the US will be exempt – require a P-1 visa to enter the country and take part in sports' biggest global event.
The visa requires them to give details of any social media platform they have used in the past five years, including their username or handle, on a form known as a DS-160.
Similar requirements will be imposed on the media, including commentators, entering on what is known as an I-visa.
The screening of social media, which began in 2019, has been ramped up by the Trump administration, with officials looking for what they regard as anti-Semitism and pro-Palestinian postings.
This could raise problems for stars like Egypt's Mohamed Salah, who in 2023 posted a video on X calling for the attacks on Gaza to stop.
'The people of Gaza need food, water and medical supplies urgently,' he said. 'All lives are sacred and must be protected. The massacres need to stop. Families are being torn apart.'
Egypt is highly likely to qualify for the tournament in the US next year. Algeria, which currently leads its qualification group, has been outspoken on the issue, offering to host Palestinian matches in its territory.
Former Arsenal midfielder and Egyptian international, Mohamed Elneny, has also supported Palestine on social media.
In 2021, he tweeted pictures of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, accompanied by the caption: 'My heart and my soul and my support for you Palestine.'
Turkey, which has a strong chance of qualifying for next year's tournament, has also seen leading players, including winger Kerem Aktürkoğlu, speak out in favour of Palestinians in Gaza.
A planned clash between Turkey's two leading clubs, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, in Saudi Arabia was cancelled after the teams wanted to wear shirts highlighting Gaza's plight.
Other high-profile supporters of the Palestinian cause include French international Wesley Fofana, who paraded the Palestinian flag across Wembley in 2021 after his team at the time, Leicester City, won the FA Cup.
Gary Lineker who, following his departure from the BBC is widely tipped to join broadcaster TNT, could also face problems after he posted a pro-Palestinian video on Instagram, featuring a rat – a symbol associated with anti-Semitism. Although Linker apologised, he remained unrepentant over his right to speak out on the issue.
'If you are silent on Gaza, you are complicit,' he said.
As things stand, the strictest controls are being imposed on students and those on cultural exchange visas, with applicants obliged to make their social media settings 'public' – which means they can be read at the time they apply for a visa.
Lawyers expect this requirement to be extended to other classes of visas in the next few months.
'The focus is all about anti-Semitism and pro-Palestine, commentary that caused a lot of students to get caught out. And I think it's probably sending a bit further to anti-Trump sentiments, anti-government sentiments,' immigration lawyer Christi Hufford Jackson told The Telegraph.
Even under the current arrangements, footballers will have to make their phones and computers open for inspection when entering the US, which means their social media activity will be available to immigration officers at airports.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed to The Telegraph that the requirement applies to all travellers.
Visitors turned away at US border
While such searches are extremely rare, there have been anecdotal reports of visitors to the US being turned away at the border because of anti-Trump material found on their phones.
'The Department of State has announced expanded social media vetting for visa applicants,' Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, the senior director of Government Relations at the American Immigration Lawyers told The Telegraph.
'While their current targets are students who are politically active, a consular officer has broad discretion and could use that to force other visa applicants, including athletes coming to compete in the World Cup, to undergo extreme social media vetting.'
Fifa, which is running the World Cup, did persuade the Trump administration to lift restrictions on teams and officials from countries subject to Mr Trump's sweeping travel ban.
The ban extends to those travelling to the US from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
However, it accepts that players and officials will be subject to the normal screening process.
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