Trump travel bans could cause World Cup chaos

Travel restrictions could prevent or delay entry to the US for World Cup players, support staff and supporters from four countries. Iran and Haiti are under a full travel ban while Senegal and the Ivory Coast have a partial ban.

Ten matches featuring these teams will take place on US soil during the group stages. The US is hosting the 2026 World Cup along with Canada and Mexico. It remains unclear if all restricted nations will see their players and support staff granted entry to compete. And whether any supporters will be able to enter the country to attend matches.

On 16 December 2025, FIFA Peace Prize winner Donald Trump announced further limitations of foreign nationals entering the US from 1 January 2026: extending the existing bans on twelve countries, extending them to five new ones, and introducing partial restrictions on another 12.

Unclear if ‘exceptions’ apply to World Cup

Whilst Trump’s proclamation states there are “exceptions for certain visa categories like athletes”, there is no clarity as to if this applies to World Cup competitors and their support staff and family members.

Furthermore, recently-announced travel restrictions requiring visitors from 42 countries under the ESTA visa waiver programme are due to come into effect on 8 February. These restrictions would require visitors to share five years of social media history, as well as other personal information, to enter the US.

With multiple people already denied entry to the US for exercising their freedom of speech on social media, these restrictions could see many people travelling for the World Cup turned away.

Jake Atkinson, a spokesperson for the Stop Trump Coalition said:

With masked ICE agents murdering a US citizen in Minneapolis and kidnapping people off the streets across the US, the country is not safe to visit under Donald Trump.

It increasingly appears that anyone can be denied entry to the US simply for sharing views that are not supportive of the president or his administration; others face detention and deportation when in the country.

Visitors, from any country, should consider their own safety and the President’s crackdown on freedom of speech before visiting.

The extended and new travel bans reflect the racist and authoritarian approach to policy that Trump’s administration embodies. Whilst players and staff of these national teams must be allowed to compete in the World Cup, what is really needed is a change of policy.

In the first week of 2026 alone, Trump has illegally bombed Venezuela in order to seize the country’s oil, threatened similar attacks on other countries, and restated his intent to annex Greenland.

Countries must come together to stand up to Trump collectively, rather than embolden him through appeasement.

The World Cup is an opportunity for people to come together through sport and share in our humanity. Trump has none.

Featured image via the Canary