Will the World Cup be affected by Trump's travel ban?

World Cup be affected by Trump's travel ban?

 

Will the World Cup be affected by Trump's travel ban?

US President Donald Trump has often reiterated that the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are among the events he is most excited about during his second term.

However, uncertainty about visa policies for foreign visitors planning to travel to the United States for the two biggest sporting events is beginning to spread. Trump's recent travel ban on citizens of 12 countries has raised new questions about the impact on the World Cup and the Summer Olympics, which depend on the host countries' openness to the world.

Starting next Monday, citizens of 12 countries will be barred from entering the United States: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Stricter restrictions will also apply to visitors from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

But how does this affect the World Cup and the Olympics?

Let's start with Iran, one of Asia's football powers, and the only target country to have qualified so far for the World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico a year from now. Cuba, Haiti, and Sudan are still in contention to qualify. Sierra Leone may also remain in the running through several playoffs. Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, and Libya have very slim chances of qualifying.

However, all of these countries should be able to send teams to the World Cup if they qualify, as the new policy allows exceptions for "any athlete or member of a team, including coaches, persons performing essential support roles, and immediate family, traveling for the World Cup, the Olympics, or any other major sporting event designated by the Department of State."

Nearly 200 countries can send their athletes to the Summer Olympics, including those targeted by the latest travel restrictions. However, exceptions should also apply to them if the ban continues in its current form.

What about fans?

While the travel ban makes no exceptions for fans from targeted countries wishing to travel to the United States for the World Cup or the Olympics, it does not. Even before the travel ban, Iranian national team fans living in that country already faced difficulties obtaining visas for the World Cup. However, fans of national teams often differ from club fans who travel abroad to attend matches in international competitions such as the Champions League.

For many countries, fans traveling to the World Cup, a costly travel plan with high airfares and hotel prices, are often from the diaspora, more financially well-off, and may have different passport options. Visitors to the World Cup are typically high-spending and face lower security risks when it comes to security planning by the host country.

Olympic visitors tend to be higher-spending, although the number of tourists during the Summer Games is much lower than during the World Cup, especially from most of the 19 countries currently targeted by travel restrictions.

How does the US work with FIFA and the Olympics?

It's worth noting that Gianni Infantino, president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), has publicly cultivated a close relationship with Trump since 2018, which some have deemed too close. Infantino has emphasized the need to ensure FIFA's smooth operation during a tournament that will generate most of its projected $13 billion in revenue between 2023 and 2026.

For his part, Casey Wasserman, chairman of the 2028 Olympic organizing committee, explained in Los Angeles on Thursday that "the Olympics require special considerations," adding that the US federal government is aware of this. Russia, which hosted the 2018 World Cup, allowed fans to enter the country using a match ticket, which served as a visa. Qatar did the same four years later.

However, several other governments have refused entry to unwanted visitors. At the 2012 London Olympics, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who remains its leader to this day despite also heading his country's National Olympic Committee, was denied a visa.