Trump's New Travel Ban Threatens to Upend World Cup and Olympics for Fans

Newsweek

2 days ago

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President Donald Trump worked hard to secure the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the United States during his first term — and he made sure the world knew it. From campaign rallies to handwritten letters on White House stationery, he celebrated it as a defining global achievement.
"I am confident," he wrote to FIFA in 2018, "that all eligible athletes, officials and fans... would be able to enter the United States without discrimination."
At the time, the bet was simple: Trump would be long gone by the time the tournament kicked off. But in one of the most improbable comebacks in modern American politics, Trump is not only back in the White House — he's now rewriting the rules for who can attend the event he once helped sell to the world.
US President Donald Trump listens to Vice President JD Vance speak during a meeting with the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the East Room of the White house in...
US President Donald Trump listens to Vice President JD Vance speak during a meeting with the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the East Room of the White house in Washington, DC, on May 6, 2025. The soccer world championship will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, and will be hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. More
Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
In a move reminiscent of his first term, a new executive order bans entry from 12 nations — including Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Haiti — and restricts travel from seven more. The order includes exemptions for athletes and staff attending "major sporting events," such as the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. But for ordinary fans from those countries planning to make a pilgrimage to America for either global sporting event, that door has been just shut.
Take Iran, whose national team as already qualified for the Cup. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, between 20,000 and 25,000 Iranian fans attended matches at Khalifa International Stadium. Even in 2014 in Brazil, some 2,000 fans made the journey. Under Trump's new order — which labels Iran a "state sponsor of terrorism" and says it "regularly fails to cooperate" with the United States on security issues — that kind of turnout would be impossible in 2026.
Other affected nations are also in contention. Haiti currently leads its group after two strong wins in the second round of CONCACAF qualifiers. Libya, currently third in a six-team group, still has a shot through the African playoff route. Venezuela, ranked seventh in South America, could make its first-ever World Cup appearance if it secures an intercontinental playoff berth.
Should any of these teams qualify, they'll be allowed to send players and core staff. But unless policy changes, the fans who fueled their journeys will have to stay home.
A Win Becomes a Liability
In 2018, Trump's personal letters to FIFA helped ease fears among soccer federations wary of his immigration policies. According to The New York Times, the administration crafted the language carefully, with input from the National Security Council and former White House adviser Jared Kushner, who also lobbied allies like Saudi Arabia to support the joint bid and defeat Morocco, the favorite at the time.
The promises were clear: the U.S. would not discriminate on who could attend. Then–Secretary of State Rex Tillerson affirmed the country's intent "to issue visas, subject to eligibility under U.S. law, without regard to race, skin color, ethnic, national or social origin, gender, language, religion, political opinion or any other opinion, disability, wealth, birth or any other status, or sexual orientation."
"These guarantees," then–U.S. Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro wrote in a follow-up letter, "will ensure that every eligible fan... will have unhindered access."
Fast forward to 2025, and those same guarantees are being undermined by a White House that is again prioritizing border security — and warning travelers worldwide that their public statements, including social media posts, may be scrutinized and could jeopardize their chances of obtaining a U.S. visa.
This policy, initially targeting individuals associated with Harvard University, is part of a broader initiative to evaluate visa applicants for signs of antisemitism or anti-American sentiment. It is expected to expand to other institutions and categories.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House, State Department, FIFA and Iran's football federation for comment.
Visa Bottlenecks
Even for countries not subject to the travel ban, attending the World Cup may be out of reach. The U.S. visa system is buckling under pressure. Wait times for tourist visa appointments exceed 700 days in Bogotá, Colombia, and more than 500 days in Ankara and Casablanca. For fans hoping to attend next summer, the window is closing fast.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress last month that his department is considering 24-hour embassy staffing and artificial intelligence to accelerate processing. "If you haven't applied for a visa from Colombia already, you probably won't get here in time," Rubio said.
FIFA is watching nervously. The organization expects next year's World Cup to generate $14 billion in revenue, much of it tied to international tourism. But if global fans can't secure visas, that windfall could shrink — and host cities like Kansas City, Miami and New York could lose out.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 27: Uruguay players warm-up before a Copa America 2024 Group C match between Bolivia and Uruguay at MetLife Stadium on June 27, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 27: Uruguay players warm-up before a Copa America 2024 Group C match between Bolivia and Uruguay at MetLife Stadium on June 27, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Photo by Stephen Nadler/Beyond the financial risk, FIFA faces a more visible threat: the optics of empty seats. The 2024 Copa América, also hosted in the United States, has already shown how things can go wrong. Despite being played in massive NFL stadiums, the tournament struggled with low attendance and lackluster fan engagement.
The U.S. men's national team's opener against Bolivia drew fewer than 48,000 fans to the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Texas. Even the final — featuring powerhouse teams Argentina and Colombia — failed to sell out Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Mixed Messages
FIFA has long insisted that host nations must provide entry to all competing teams, staff and fans. In 2017, FIFA President Gianni Infantino warned that if countries couldn't guarantee access, "there is no World Cup." In 2025, he reaffirmed that stance: "Football unites the world," he said in a recent video. "Everyone who wants to come... will be able to do that."
Yet even within FIFA, confidence is waning. A source close to the organization told The Athletic that visa delays have become a top concern, particularly for African and Latin American countries.
Still, Infantino remains confident that his close relationship with President Trump could help ensure a successful tournament. "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," he said earlier this year. Infantino has appeared at Trump's rallies, dined with him at Davos, and even presented him with a replica of the FIFA Club World Cup trophy — now displayed in the Oval Office.
FIFA president (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) Gianni Infantino presents US President Donald Trump with the new FIFA Club World Cup official ball in the Oval office of the White House, in Washington, DC, on...
FIFA president (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) Gianni Infantino presents US President Donald Trump with the new FIFA Club World Cup official ball in the Oval office of the White House, in Washington, DC, on March 7, 2025. More
Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
But the administration's messaging remains mixed. At a meeting of the White House's World Cup task force last month, Vice President J.D. Vance said:
"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.
The concerns also extend beyond the World Cup. Kirsty Coventry, the newly elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has said she wants to meet with Trump to ensure the success of the approaching 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
"He was the president at the time when LA was awarded the Games," Coventry said to the press in March. "I truly believe that he wants the LA28 Games to be a huge success."