World Cup dreams crushed by visa rejections

With the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico fast approaching, the issue of US entry visas has begun to cause concern among a number of national team supporters, following press reports revealing the difficulties some fans have faced in obtaining the necessary visas to attend the tournament.

In Jordan, these fears have become a reality for a number of supporters of the Jordanian national football team, who say they applied for visas to follow ‘Al-Nashama’ at the World Cup, but some were surprised to have their applications rejected or to encounter procedural delays, despite holding match tickets and clear travel plans.

Caught between the dream of attending the Jordanian national team’s first World Cup appearance and the administrative hurdles associated with travel procedures, many fans find themselves facing the prospect of missing out on the stands, despite years of following the team in regional and continental tournaments.

The Canary surveyed some Jordanian national team fans whose visa applications to enter the US for the World Cup were rejected, and this is the resulting report.

A fan following his national

Jordanian fan Tariq Al-Artani tells Kanari that his relationship with the national team began in the stands within Jordan before later turning into a long journey of travelling behind the team in various tournaments.

Al-Artani says he attended the national team’s matches in several countries, including Qatar during the 2023 Asian Cup, as well as matches in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman during the World Cup qualifiers, emphasising that he accompanied “Al-Nashami” on most of their footballing journeys at his own expense, driven by passion and love for his country.

He notes that his greatest dream was to see the Jordanian national team in the World Cup finals for the first time from inside the stadium, singing the national anthem alongside thousands of fans.

World Cup tickets ready, visa refused

Jordanian journalist Muhannad Juwails says that the refusal to grant fans US visas should not have happened under any circumstances, as this is a right for all fans and all national teams.

Juwails called on FIFA to intervene officially and ask the US, as the host nation, to remove the obstacles preventing fans from exercising their right to participate and attend World Cup events.

The Iraqi fan explains that he planned early to attend his national team’s matches at the 2026 World Cup, having purchased tickets for a substantial sum from third-party resale sites after failing to secure them in the official ticket draw.

He says he applied for a US visa with confidence, emphasising that his paperwork was complete and he had a travel history to several countries, but was surprised during the consular interview when his application was rejected without him being asked for details of his trip to attend the matches.

He adds that the decision came as “a huge shock to him as a fan”, as he had hoped to watch his national team at the global event from the stands after years of travelling to follow them at various tournaments.

A long-standing passion and fears of silent stands

For his part, Jordanian fan Abdulsalam Bani Marwan confirms that his support for the national team began in childhood, driven by a passion for sport, noting that he used to travel to various countries to support the team in their matches.

Bani Marwan believes that the presence of fans is an essential part of the spirit of the World Cup, expressing his hope that the US authorities will work to facilitate the entry of football fans into the country during the tournament.

He warns that preventing large numbers of fans from attending matches could result in a significant loss of the atmosphere that characterises the World Cup, and could reflect negatively on the image of hosting major tournaments in the future.

A World Cup under administrative restrictions

As the tournament — set to be the largest in World Cup history with 48 teams participating — draws near, questions are mounting among fans of national teams worldwide regarding whether supporters will be able to reach the stands, particularly given the complex visa procedures for some countries.

For many Jordanian fans, the dream of attending the World Cup is not just about watching football matches, but a historic opportunity to support their national team at the world’s most important football event — a dream that may remain suspended between the excitement of the stands and visa decisions.

Jordan will compete in the 2026 World Cup in a group comprising Argentina, Austria and Algeria.

Featured image via the Canary