Trump travel ban sparks World Cup questions – and more soccer issues
On Wednesday night, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a travel ban against twelve countries in a move he described as 'protecting the national security and national interest of the United States and its people'.
The ban goes into effect on Monday, June 9, and it entails a ban against travel into the United States by citizens of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. This ban relates to the entry of both immigrants and non-immigrants.
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President Trump also imposed partial restrictions and limits on the entry of nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
From a soccer perspective, the news is particularly significant because FIFA are hosting two tournaments in the United States over the next thirteen months – first the FIFA Club World Cup, which will begin on June 14 and then the World Cup in 2026, which will be shared with Canada and Mexico. Iran has already qualified for the tournament, while several countries facing travel bans are in contention to qualify. Additionally, Concacaf is hosting the Gold Cup this summer in the United States, with Haiti one of the competing teams. There are also players from Sudan, Venezuela and Iran due to compete in the Club World Cup.
The Athletic breaks down the instant questions that are raised by President Trump's travel ban.
What will the impact be for national teams visiting the United States for the World Cup in 2026?
The good news for FIFA is that the executive order contains an exemption 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.'
This would appear to suggest, therefore, that Iran, whose qualification has already been assured for the World Cup in 2026, will be able to send a team and support staff to compete at the tournament. However, players will not be able to bring friends and family who are Iranian nationals beyond 'immediate relatives.'
Trump's executive order describes Iran as a' state sponsor of terrorism', adding that the state 'regularly fails to cooperate with the United States Government in identifying security risks'.
Among the nations with full travel bans, Haiti is currently the best-placed team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, having won its first two games in the second round of Concacaf's qualification process to sit second in its five-team group. The top two from each of the six groups of five progress into the third round – where 12 teams remain – and three nations are guaranteed access to the World Cup with an additional two Concacaf teams to enter into the inter-continental playoffs.
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In Africa, Libya has an outside chance of making the World Cup, currently placed third in a group of six after six matches. The four-best runners-up from the ten African groups will enter into a play-off tournament to stand a chance of qualifying for the World Cup. Both Haiti and Libya would be in the same position as Iran, should they qualify, whereby they are permitted to attend as teams – but there does not appear to be an exception for nationals of those teams who might wish to travel to the tournament to support their country during the competition.
Among the nations with partial travel bans, Venezuela is currently placed 7th in the South America qualification table, which would enter them into an inter-continental play-off. Cuba lies third in its five-team Concacaf group, with a game in hand on second-placed Bermuda after two games played. Sierra Leone is also third in group play in the CAF qualification phase to remain in with a chance of qualification.
Will any teams be impacted at the Concacaf Gold Cup in the summer of 2025?
The Gold Cup begins on June 14 and ends on July 6 this summer, with all matches except one due to be played in the United States.
The only competing nation impacted by the travel ban is Haiti, an opponent of the USMNT in the group stage of the competition. Saudi Arabia and Trinidad and Tobago make up the four-team group.
The exemption listed by President Trump's executive order refers to athletes and teams being allowed to 'travel for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State.'
The Gold Cup is not specified and therefore it must be determined by the Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Athletic has contacted both Concacaf and the Department of State to seek clarity on the matter and to ask whether Haiti will be granted entry.
President Trump's executive order cited overstay percentages on visas by Haitian citizens within the U.S. and claimed 'hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden Administration.' The order claimed that this 'harms American communities by creating acute risks of increased overstay rates, establishment of criminal networks, and other national security threats.'
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What will the impact be for supporters who wish to watch these teams compete in the United States during the next year?
While exemptions appear to have been made for athletes, teams and immediate relatives, further-reaching exemptions for supporters do not appear to be present in the executive order. Exemptions are made for nationals of designated countries who are traveling on government business, or NATO business, or those who are lawful permanent residents of the United States, as well as those who are dual citizens and traveling with a passport from the non-designated country. There will also be entry granted to Iranians on immigrant visas owing to ethnic or religious persecution in their home country.
These exemptions aside, however, it appears that entry will be limited for nationals from those countries who face partial and full travel bans. Both Venezuela and Cuba for example have had temporary tourist visa access forbidden. It also appears that Haitians will be forbidden from entering the U.S. to support their team at the Gold Cup this summer or if they qualify for the World Cup next summer.
What does this mean for the FIFA Club World Cup this summer?
The 32 teams who will be competing in FIFA's revamped club competition this summer are not from any of the countries impacted by the travel ban.
There are, however, some players who are potentially at risk of being affected. The exemption in the executive order, as explained above, states that allowances will be made for athletes and immediate relatives coming for the World Cup or 'other major sporting events', as determined by the Secretary of State. The Club World Cup is not specified in the document. The Athletic has reached out to both the Department of State and FIFA to ask whether anything has been formally communicated to designate the Club World Cup as a 'major event.'
A quick browse of the squads offers up potential challenges. At the Abu Dhabi club Al-Ain, for example, is the Sudanese player Mohamed Awadalla and his country has seen all visas blocked – meaning he may require an exemption – while the Inter Milan Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi may also be in the same position.
The Venezuelan trio of Matias Lacava, Salomon Rondon and Jefferson Savarino – at Ulsan, Pachuca and Botafogo respectively – may not require exemptions because the partial travel ban inflicted upon Venezuelan nationals does not extend to those seeking to come to the U.S. on the P-1 visa. This is used when an athlete seeks to come to the U.S. are part of a team at an internationally recognized level of performance.
On Wednesday, as part of our report tracking FIFA's difficulties in filling stadiums for the Club World Cup, FIFA told The Athletic that supporters from more than 130 different countries had acquired tickets for this summer's tournament. We have now approached FIFA to ask whether any nationals from countries impacted by the travel ban have acquired tickets for the tournament, as well as if any exemptions will be made to enable them to enter the country, or if these supporters can otherwise expect refunds.
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What have FIFA and the White House said previously about teams and fans being able to attend the World Cup?
Back in 2017, before the U.S. secured the World Cup a year later, the FIFA President Gianni Infantino told reporters: 'It's obvious when it comes to FIFA competitions, 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.'
Additionally, as part of the U.S.'s joint bid with Canada and Mexico to host the World Cup – dated May 2, 2018 – President Trump wrote to Infantino and said he was confident that 'all eligible athletes, officials and fans from all countries around the world would be able to enter the United States without discrimination.'
The Athletic has approached the White House for comment.
Earlier this year, Infantino said: 'America will welcome the world. Everyone who wants to come here to enjoy, to have fun and to celebrate the game, will be able to do that.'
Infantino also claimed that the two FIFA tournaments over the next year would generate almost $50 billion in economic output for the U.S. The question, however, is whether repeated news cycles about a more stringent approach to entering the U.S. may dissuade global travelers from attending both the tournament this summer and next year's World Cup, leaving FIFA more reliant on a domestic audience and host cities at risk of falling short of their economic impact, as tourists are likelier to spend more money.
Speaking about the World Cup, Vice President J.D. Vance last month said during a meeting of the White House's World Cup task force: 'Of course everyone is welcome to come and see this wonderful event. We want them to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the games.
'But when the time is up we want them to go home, otherwise they will have to talk to Secretary Noem,' he said, referring to Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security.
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