On Wednesday evening, US President Donald Trump signed a travel ban against 12 countries in a decision he described as “protecting national security and the national interest in the United States and his people”.
The ban comes into force on Monday, and it implies a ban against travel to the United States by citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. This ban relates to the entry of immigrants and non-immigrants.
Trump also imposed partial restrictions and limits on the entrance to nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
From a football point of view, the news is particularly important because FIFA organizes two tournaments in the United States in the next 13 months – first the FIFA club World Cup, which will start on June 14, then the World Cup in 2026, which will be shared with Canada and Mexico. Iran has already qualified for the tournament, while several countries faced with travel prohibitions are in the running to qualify. In addition, the Concacaf is organizing the Gold Cup this summer in the United States, with Haiti one of the teams in competition. There are also players from Sudan, Venezuela and Iran who should participate in the Club World Cup.
Athletics Decomposes the instant questions that are raised by Trump’s travel ban.
What will be the impact for national teams visiting the United States for the World Cup in 2026?
The good news for FIFA is that the executive decree Contains an exemption for “any athlete or member of a sports team, including coaches, people playing a necessary support role and immediate parents, traveling for the World Cup, the Olympic Games or any other major sporting event, determined by the Secretary of State.”
This would therefore seem to suggest that Iran, whose qualification has already been ensured for the World Cup in 2026, will be able to send a team and support staff to participate in the tournament. However, players will not be able to bring friends and a family who are Iranian nationals beyond “immediate parents”.
Trump’s decree describes Iran as a “sponsor of the state of terrorism”, adding that the state “does not manage to cooperate with the United States regularly to identify security risks”.
Iran has become one of the first teams to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. (Fatemeh Bahrami / Anadolu via Getty Images)
Among nations with full travel prohibitions, Haiti is currently the best placed team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, after winning its first two games in the second round of the Concacaf qualification process for the second in its five team group. The first two of each of the six groups of five progress in the third round – where 12 teams remain – and three nations are guaranteed access to the World Cup with two additional CONCACAF teams to participate in intercontinental qualifiers.
In Africa, Libya has an external chance to do the World Cup, currently ranked third in a group of six after six games. The four best finalists of the 10 African groups will enter a eliminatory tournament to have a chance to qualify for the World Cup. Haiti and Libya are both in the same position as Iran, if they qualify, where they are allowed to attend as teams – but there does not seem to be exceptional for nationals of the teams who could wish to go to the tournament to support their country during the competition.
Among nations with partial travel prohibitions, Venezuela is currently placed seventh in the qualification table in South America, which would enter them into intercontinental playoffs. Cuba is third in his CONCACAF group with five teams, with a match in the Bermuda in second place after two games played. Sierra Leone is also third in the group game in the CAF qualification phase to stay in a chance of qualification.
Will the teams be affected at Concacaf Gold Cup in the summer of 2025?
The Gold Cup begins on June 14 and ends on July 6, with all matches except one that should be played in the United States.
The only competing nation affected by the ban on travel is Haiti, an opponent of the USMNT in the group phase of the competition. Saudi Arabia and Trinidad and Tobago make up the group with four teams.
The exemption listed by Trump’s executive order refers to the authorization of athletes and teams authorized to “travel for the World Cup, the Olympic Games or any other major sporting event, as determined by the Secretary of State”.
Haiti is one of the Challengers of the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer and is expected to face the United States. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)
The Gold Cup is not specified and therefore it must be determined by the Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Athletics contacted both the Concacaf and the State Department to request the clarity of the issue and wonder if Haiti will obtain the entrance.
Trump’s decree cited percentages of overcoming visas by Haitian citizens in the United States and said that “hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian foreigners were flooded in the United States during the Biden administration”. The ordinance said that “harms the American communities by creating acute risks of increasing surpassing rates, the establishment of criminal networks and other national security threats”.
What will be the impact for supporters who wish to watch these teams compete in the United States in the next year?
Although exemptions seem to have been made for athletes, teams and immediate parents, prosecution exemptions for supporters do not seem to be present in the decree. Exemptions are made for nationals of designated countries who travel in government affairs, NATO business or those who are legal permanent residents of the United States, as well as those who are double citizens and travel with an uninated country passport. There will also be an entry grants the Iranians on immigrant visas due to ethnic or religious persecution in their country of origin.
These exemptions apart, however, it seems that the entry is limited for nationals of countries which are faced with partial and complete travel prohibitions. Venezuela and Cuba, for example, had access to a temporary tourist visa prohibited. It also seems that Haitians will be forbidden to enter the United States to support their team at Gold Cup this summer or if they qualify for the World Cup next summer.
What does this mean for the FIFA club World Cup this summer?
The 32 teams that will participate in the FIFA altered clubs competition this summer do not come from the countries affected by the travel ban.
However, there are some players who are potentially at risk of being affected. The exemption in the decree, as explained above, indicates that allowances will be made for athletes and immediate parents who come for the World Cup or “other major sporting events”, as determined by the Secretary of State. The club World Cup is not specified in the document. Athletics contacted both the State Department and the FIFA to wonder if something has been officially communicated to designate the Club World Cup as “major event”.
Quick navigation of the squads offers potential challenges. At the Abu Dhabi Club Al -Ain, for example, is the Sudanese player Mohamed Awadalla, and his country has seen all the visas blocked – which means that he may need an exemption – while the Iranian striker Inter -Milan Mehdi Taremi could also be in the same position.
Salomón Rondón and his teammates from Venezuela can find themselves exempt from the ban on travel. (Juan Mabromata / AFP via Getty Images)
The Venezuelan trio of MatÃas Lacava, Salomón Rondón and Jefferson Savarino – in Ulsan, Pachuca and Botafogo, respectively – may also require exemptions, even if the ban on partial travel inflicted on Venezuelan nationals does not extend to those who seek to come to the United States on the Visa P -1. This is used when an athlete is looking to come to the United States as part of an internationally recognized level of performance. However, normally, this would only be used if they have contracts with teams in the United States. For example, international players MLS, NBA, MLB are on a P1 or a green card. Those who come for temporary competitions would normally do so on a B1 or B2 visa – a temporary visa for commercial or tourist purposes – which are now blocked for Venezuela. As such, these players also hope that the Club World Cup will be qualified as a major sporting event.
Wednesday, as part of our report, followed FIFA difficulties in filling stages For the Club World Cup, FIFA said Athletics that supporters of more than 130 countries had acquired tickets for this summer tournament. We have now approached FIFA to ask ourselves if nationals of countries affected by the travel ban have acquired tickets for the tournament, as well as if exemptions will be made to enable them to enter the country, or if these supporters can expect reimbursements.
What did FIFA and the White House previously said about teams and fans to attend the World Cup?
In 2017, before the United States guaranteed the World Cup a year later, the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, said Reporters: “It is obvious with regard to FIFA competitions, any team, including supporters and officials of this team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup.”
In addition, as part of the joint offer of the United States with Canada and Mexico to host the World Cup – dated May 2, 2018 – Trump wrote in Infantino and said that he was convinced that “all athletes, officials and fans of all countries around the world could enter the United States without discrimination”.
Athletics approached the White House to comment.
Earlier this year, Infantino said: “America will welcome the world. All those who want to come here to enjoy, have fun and celebrate the game can do it.”
Infantino also said that the two FIFA tournaments in the next year would generate nearly $ 50 billion in economic production for the United States, however, is whether repeated information cycles concerning a more strict approach to enter the United States can dissuade world travelers from attending both the tournament this summer and the world cup next year, leaving the more dreaded tour of next year, is more exceptional.
Speaking of the World Cup, Vice-President JD Vance last month said at a meeting of the working group of the White House World Cup: “Of course, everyone is welcome to come and see this wonderful event. We want them to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the games.
“But when the moment passes, we want them to return home, otherwise they will have to speak to secretary Noem,” he said, referring to Kristi Noem, the Secretary for Homeland Security.
(Top Photo: Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images)
