On Wednesday, June 4, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a travel ban that will prohibit individuals from a dozen countries from entering this country, and partial restrictions for seven other nations.
Just how does that affect the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, the two biggest sporting events on the planet, that the U.S. will host?
Let’s take a look.
Just what is the travel ban policy?
Citing national security, President Trump signed a proclamation banning citizens from 12 countries from visiting the USA. Those nations are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Partial restrictions also will apply for visitors from seven other countries. They are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The White House said that the ban targeted countries with “high visa overstay rates” and that are “deficient with regards to screening and vetting.”
The ban has several exemptions, including for U.S. permanent residents, the spouses and children of U.S. citizens who have “clear and convincing evidence of identity and family relationship,” Afghans who assisted American forces in the past.
The ban is scheduled to take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, June 9.
How does or could it affect the World Cup?
This is where it gets a bit dicey and more complicated.
Next year the USA will co-host the World Cup with Mexico and Canada, the first time FIFA, soccer’s governing body has allowed three countries to share those duties. Forty-eight teams will compete from June 11 through July 19, 2026.
According to the ban’s policies, there will be exceptions for teams that qualify:
“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.”
Iran is the only team on the banned list that has booked a spot in the World Cup.
Cuba, Haiti and Sudan are still vying for berths. Sierra Leone might stay alive if it wins some playoff games. Burundi, Equatorial Guinea and Libya are considered long shots to qualify.
But if Iranian fans want to visit the U.S. to support their team. That will be a problem, a big problem.
The ban didn’t mention any exceptions for fans from those countries wanting to travel to the U.S.
It could be solved temporarily if FIFA puts the Iranians in Mexico or Canada for its group matches, so its supporters can watch them there. But if Iran advances into the knockout rounds, more games will be played in the USA as the tournament progresses. And fans could be blocked from entering the country.
As for the rest of the globe’s fans, there should be little or no problems, as long as their countries are not on the banned list.
But even before the ban was issued, the Trump administration has deployed hostile policies for some visitors since taking over on Jan. 20.
Several tourists have been detained at the border.
In February, Lennon Tyler of Las Vegas and a U.S. citizen and her German fiancé Lucas Sielaff had an incident at the U.S.-Mexican border when they drove back from Tijuana. According to an Associated Press story, U.S. border agents handcuffed Tyler and chained her to a bench, while Sielaff, was accused of violating the rules of his 90-day U.S. tourist permit, the AP reported. Sielaff spent 16 days locked up before being allowed to fly home to Germany.
Here is a link to the Associated Press story:
https://tinyurl.com/42dbfre7
Becky Burke, a 28-year-old Welsh woman, spent 19 days in a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center in the state of Washington after she was denied entry into Canada, over a “visa mix-up.”
Here is a link to the BBC story:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqj4w91vz7jo
The administration’s actions also has affected some foreign players in the states.
In April, four Zambian internationals who play in the National Women’s Soccer League did not travel to China for the Yangchuan International Tournament because of fears they could be detained.
Four Venezuelan women’s players based in the U.S. also were forced to miss two home friendlies Panama due to “personal decisions related to immigration issues,” according to the Venezuelan Football Federation.
While the organization might not admit it publicly, FIFA wants to ensure the World Cup is run as smoothly as possible, without any major international hiccups or headaches.
Which is the likely reason why FIFA President Gianni Infantino has visited the White House 10 times since Christmas. Some critics have claimed Infantino has become too cozy with President Trump as he plays a unique brand of political football.
And there is another reason why Infantino has been a frequent visitor.
The World Cup is FIFA’s baby and its biggest money maker.
FIFA selected the USA to co-host its largest extravaganza along with its two North American neighbors because of the enormous economic potential.
The 1994 World Cup attracted a record 3,568,567 spectators. Since then, none of the seven World Cups have exceeded that amount. With 48 teams in an expanded tournament, that mark is expected to be broken without a sweat.
Every game is expected to be a sellout, and FIFA is banking on a multi-billion-dollar haul from ticket sales.
It also is a big deal to sponsors – local, national and worldwide – and small businesses in the host cities because tourists and spectators mean big bucks.
“FIFA, as you know, is a brand which is globally known and a very strong brand,” Infantino said to President Trump, according to official White House documents. “The soccer economy in the world is worth around $170 billion a year. Seventy percent of that, Mr. President, is in Europe. So. imagine the potential that there is around the world, only in soccer, if we develop it.”
To be continued, for sure.
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