The World Cup, they say, brings people together. Unfortunately, the 2026 FIFA World Cup which begins on June 11, is primarily occurring in North America, which the President of the United States, Donald Trump, considers to be his backyard.
This marks the first time 48 nations will participate, replacing the traditional 32-team format. Matches are being split across the United States (11 cities), Mexico (3 cities), and Canada (2 cities). 14 out of these 16 host cities are likely to experience extreme heat levels during the June and July window. FIFA has implemented mandatory three-minute cooling breaks per half, which scientists have argued should be extended to at least six minutes.
Recent reports have highlighted diplomatic friction, particularly the prospect of U.S. travel restrictions affecting citizens from qualified nations like Iran, causing concern for both traveling fans and participating squads.
According to Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, the problem with Iran is not the players themselves but the people they want to bring with them. Iran’s football team has now been granted visas to enter the country for their World Cup matches, however, a large portion of the managerial and executive staff, technical advisers, and others who are an integral part of any national football team, have been denied entry.
Competing nations like South Africa have struggled with late travel arrangements and delayed departure times due to North American visa issuance issues.
National squads face unique roadblocks, such as government-ordered isolation restrictions due to regional health outbreaks (like DR Congo players regarding Ebola) and visa denials stemming from geopolitical conflicts
Supporters from 39 countries – including World Cup qualifying nations like Senegal and Ivory Coast – are severely impacted by stringent travel and immigration bans targeting entry into the United States.
Human rights and LGBTQ+ organisations (such as Three Lions Pride) have issued travel warnings or have been calling for boycotts, citing safety fears and aggressive immigration enforcement (e.g., ICE presence) within the US political climate.
Surging accommodation prices and overall travel uncertainty have led to a wave of hotel booking cancellations across certain host cities, as fans rethink their travel budgets.
The United States enacted broad travel suspensions that restrict or pause visitor visas from certain countries, including those participating in the tournament. Countries hit with full restrictions whose teams qualified include nations like Haiti, Iran, the Ivory Coast, and Senegal.
While fans from these restricted countries face bans on entering the U.S. to attend games, the Trump administration has clarified that athletes, coaches, and essential support staff are exempted so they can compete.
Trump publicly stated that Iran’s national team is welcome to compete, but that it would not be “appropriate” for them to play or for their fans to travel to the U.S. for their “life and safety” due to current political tensions.
Attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup from a developing nation has therefore become highly difficult and expensive. The primary obstacles are lengthy visa wait times, strict immigration screening, travel ban considerations, and steep ticket prices.
Breel Embolo, the star striker from Switzerland was blocked from entering the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to a sudden review of his travel authorization – a final court ruling, Embolo was found guilty on multiple counts of making unlawful threats stemming from a street altercation.
The Swiss Football Federation was working closely with U.S. immigration authorities to secure an emergency exemption or sports visa.
FIFA’s ethics codes require the organisation to remain strictly neutral on political matters. As a result, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other organisations have questioned the legitimacy of FIFA President Gianni Infantino handing Trump an award for the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize”.
It was felt that this was unethical and it became a highly controversial issue that has sparked official ethics complaints and global backlash.
Two Caribbean countries that officially qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are Curaçao and Haiti.
Curaçao: Made historic World Cup history by becoming the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the global showpiece while Haiti ended a 52-year wait to return to the tournament.
Due to the strict U.S. travel ban, ordinary Haitian citizens and fans are completely prohibited from entering the United States. While a tightly controlled sporting waiver allows essential players and staff to enter, thousands of dedicated fans have been entirely blocked from watching their country play. It seems that Donald Trump cannot keep politics away from the World Cup.
Simeon Collins is a former Director of the Grenada Bureau of Standards and first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA), a CARICOM Institution