Swathes of football enthusiasts are gearing up to flock to the United States this year for the grandest sporting spectacle, the FIFA World Cup.
Yet, due to President Trump’s extensive travel prohibitions, citizens from numerous countries might find themselves unable to attend.
With an anticipated attendance of over 3 million spectators and more than 1 billion viewers tuning in from home, the tournament is set to shine a spotlight on the continent, with matches hosted across Mexico, Canada, and the US.
However, soccer fans eager to witness a match in the US will need to comply with the stricter entry regulations introduced in the past year, which might prevent entry for individuals with minor criminal offenses or politically sensitive content on their devices.
Compounding the challenges for international World Cup visitors, the Trump administration recently broadened its list of nations facing a freeze on all migration visa applications.
This prohibition could affect several countries whose citizens typically attend international matches, leaving these fans unlikely to gain entry under the existing travel rules.
Countries that have qualified and might encounter difficulties entering the US due to this travel ban include Morocco, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, Cape Verde, Uruguay, Senegal, Algeria, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Ghana, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Iraq, and Brazil.
It remains undetermined whether the ban, enacted on January 21, will affect those pursuing non-immigration, business, or temporary tourist visas. However, the demand for such visas is expected to rise around the World Cup period—whether these will be processed for those on the banned list is still uncertain.
A directive to embassy staff globally has instructed them to implement additional screening measures to prevent applicants from overstaying their welcome.
“With the uncovering of massive public benefits fraud across the United States, the Trump administration is laser-focused on eliminating and preventing fraud in public benefits programs,” stated the cable.
Nonetheless, four of these nations are likely to encounter a comprehensive ban on supporters entering the US.
In December, Senegal and Ivory Coast, both participating countries, were included in this extensive travel ban, which does not impact the teams and their players but will hinder supporters from these nations from attending their matches in the US.
A Senegal fan expressed to the Associated Press: “I don’t know why the American president would want teams from certain countries not to take part. If that’s the case, they shouldn’t agree to host the World Cup.
“It’s up to the United States to provide the conditions, the means, and the resources to allow the qualified countries so everyone can go and support their team.”
Supporters from two additional countries that qualified for this year’s World Cup, Iran and Haiti, have also been barred, joining the expansive travel ban during the initial phase of restrictions.
Currently, the Trump administration has halted immigration from 75 nationalities, comprising more than a third of the world’s countries. It remains unclear if standard travel visas will also face restrictions for these nations.
Without an exception granted for the World Cup duration, many teams might have to compete with diminished fan support, as only US nationals from those countries would be able to attend and support their teams.
The State Department has rationalized the growing list of nations impacted by the ban, indicating that consulates must address ‘screening and vetting deficiencies’ before any removals from the list occur.