Steve Schwarzbach has lived what many of us might deem the dream football fan life.
Since 2006, he’s followed the World Cup wherever it’s gone. Germany, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, Qatar — if the tournament was on, Steve made sure he was there.
That’s why his plans for 2026 seemed like a given. With matches heading to the US, you’d expect the Frankfurt-based superfan to be booking flights, not cancelling them.
Instead, for the first time in two decades, Steve has decided he won’t attend — and his reasoning says a lot.
Even though he’s traveled to hosts that some people stereotype as risky for tourists, Steve says the games staged in the US are where he draws the line.
Of all the World Cup destinations he’s experienced, he says America is the one that has genuinely made him afraid to go.
Speaking to CNN Travel Steve said: “In South Africa and Brazil, I felt very safe because they had so many police, army and security that I didn’t have any fears of going out.”
So what’s behind his concern about the US? He points to ICE raids.
He continued: “You see the ICE people going around and just pulling people from the streets just because they look foreign and you don’t get the feeling that anybody would protect me, you know?
Steve, who is half Korean and half German, worries that his appearance could put him in the spotlight — saying he looks more Asian than German, and could be mistaken for someone authorities might target.
He had already secured access as a ‘verified superfan’ — a Participating Member Association Supporter, in FIFA’s terminology — and even landed tickets to a quarter-final and a semi-final for a hefty £1260.
But with those matches set to be played in American stadiums, he chose not to go through with it.
His decision hardened after seeing videos of raids and reading reports that the US Government is considering reviewing visitors’ social media, potentially looking back as far as five years.
That was the moment he felt the potential downsides outweighed the experience, and he declined the card transactions.
Steve isn’t alone in rethinking the trip. Others have said they’re avoiding the tournament as well, pointing to aggressive immigration enforcement, the deaths of two Americans involving federal agents, and ongoing criticism of US foreign policy.
The World Cup, of course, has rarely been free from controversy — and 2026 looks set to be no exception.
With Canada and Mexico co-hosting, there will still be major matches beyond US borders.
But for Steve — someone who took South Africa and Brazil in his stride — the plan now is simple: watch it from home instead.