August 20, 2026 2:00 pm EDT

2026 World Cup Visa Denials and Challenges Entering the U.S.

Fans from countries such as Senegal, Ghana, Iran, and Haiti faced visa refusal rates above 40 percent, compared with an overall average of about 34 percent.

While the World Cup saw record-breaking viewership and garnered sold-out crowds, U.S. immigration and entry restrictions marred what was supposed to be a global celebration meant to bring together fans, players, and officials.

The 2026 World Cup was an indisputable success for the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the United States. Digital engagement up until the quarterfinals reached 20 billion views across platforms, and host stadiums operated at 99.7 percent occupancy, with more than 6.25 million fans attending matches through the Round of 16, an average of more than 65,000 fans per game. Co-hosting the World Cup invigorated interest and passion for football, as the U.S. men’s team drew record audiences throughout the tournament. Each of its three group-stage matches ranked among the most-watched USMNT World Cup broadcasts ever on English-language television in the United States, according to Fox Sports. The Round-of-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina drew 26.4 million viewers, while the round-of-16 loss to Belgium drew 33.1 million and peaked at 41 million, making it the most-viewed non-NFL telecast since Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.

Despite the tournament’s overall success, fans, players, officials, and staff from several countries faced visa restrictions and difficulties entering the United States. Those restrictions drew steep criticism of the Trump administration from immigration and human rights groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which on April 23 joined more than 120 civil society organizations in issuing a travel advisory that accused the administration of pursuing a “draconian immigration and anti-human rights agenda” and warned that World Cup fans, players, and officials could face denial of entry to the United States, arrest, detention, or deportation. Speaking to BBC World Service for a June 2026 report on visa and entry challenges facing World Cup fans, Massachusetts immigration attorney Celine Atallah said, “The visa system is the invisible gatekeeper of the World Cup…FIFA can sell a ticket, but the US government decides who gets a visa, and CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] decides who actually enters.”

Somali referee Omar Artan, who had spent eight years on FIFA’s international referees list and was named Men’s Referee of the Year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 2025, was selected by FIFA to officiate at the 2026 World Cup. His selection put him on track to become the first Somali referee to officiate at a World Cup match, but he was denied entry on June 6 at Miami International Airport despite having been issued a U.S. visa. U.S. Customs and Border Protection initially cited unspecified “vetting concerns,” while an unnamed Trump administration official later alleged that Artan had an “association with suspected members of terror organizations,” according to CBS News. The outlet did not identify the official by name, and the Trump administration has yet to publicly release evidence supporting the allegation.

Shortly after Artan was denied entry, Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports worked with the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Office of the President in an unsuccessful diplomatic effort with U.S. authorities and FIFA to resolve the matter. Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, told The Washington Post that Artan’s denial of entry into the U.S. had “shuttered” a national dream and argued that the World Cup “should be given to a country that gives everybody equal opportunity.” On June 10, Somalia’s Foreign Ministry said it “deeply regrets” the U.S. decision and would continue seeking clarification from relevant authorities. Artan returned home to a hero’s welcome in Mogadishu, where government officials greeted him at Aden Adde International Airport and crowds of supporters gathered to welcome him. Artan told reporters at the airport that what happened to him was “fate” and urged young Somalis not to lose hope.

FIFA said on June 8, after Artan was denied entry, that it was “not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications” and that a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into the country. Two days later, at a FIFA World Cup opening press conference in Mexico City, FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed Artan’s denial of entry, calling it “unfortunate” and saying the organization had tried to find solutions but had to respect that it was not “the kings of the world” who could rule over governments and police forces.

Iran’s delegation faced some of the World Cup’s most complicated visa and entry issues, and the team’s participation in the tournament was further complicated by the ongoing U.S.-Iran war, which contributed to political tensions and a late decision to move its planned base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico—a move the Iranian federation said was intended to help resolve potential visa issues. Iran Football Federation (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj said FIFA approved the change after meetings with FIFA and World Cup officials in Istanbul and a May 22 virtual meeting with FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström. Iran’s players were eventually granted U.S. visas on June 5, just 10 days before their opening match against New Zealand in Los Angeles, but several FFIRI officials and staff members, including Taj, were ultimately denied visas. The visa denials followed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s June 2 statement at a House appropriations hearing that U.S. officials would closely scrutinize visa applications from Iran’s World Cup delegation and deny entry to anyone linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The FFIRI also said its ticket allocation for supporters at the team’s three U.S. group-stage matches had been withdrawn, leaving the federation unable to distribute tickets to its fans. FIFA, which controls World Cup ticketing, said it was working with the federation to find “compliant solutions” for Iranian supporters. Two days later, FIFA said discussions with the FFIRI were continuing over "outstanding matters," without specifying whether the ticket-allocation issue had been resolved.

A BBC World Service analysis of U.S. Department of State data found that 11 of 48 countries—Ecuador, Egypt, Haiti, Algeria, Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan, Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, and Senegal—that qualified to compete in the World Cup had visa refusal rates above 40 percent, well above the average refusal rate of around 34 percent for the tourist and business visas that fans were encouraged to apply for. Senegal had the highest rate among those countries at 73.96 percent, followed by Ghana at 64.34 percent and DRC at 63.37 percent. The analysis also found that some qualified countries, such as Haiti and Iran, faced full suspensions on visa issuance, while Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire were subject to partial suspensions that included B-1/B-2 visitor visas. Those restrictions were imposed by a presidential proclamation signed by President Donald Trump on December 16, 2025, which expanded U.S. entry restrictions for nationals of several countries. The proclamation included exceptions for World Cup athletes, coaches, and necessary team personnel, but did not include a categorical exception for fans

Even fans from countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program experienced problems entering the U.S. to attend matches, including Scotland national team fan Michael Wright, who told the BBC that his ESTA travel authorization changed from “approved” to “not authorized” while he was at the airport, without an explanation as to why. Several other Scotland supporters also reportedly had previously approved ESTA travel authorizations withdrawn shortly before the tournament.

At an August 30, 2025, press conference in Nairobi following a meeting with the presidents of the Confederation of African Football’s 54 member associations, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said “everyone will be welcome” at the 2026 World Cup and assured reporters that the visa process would be “smooth” enough for qualifying teams to travel with their fans. However, that promise did not fully materialize, as fans, players, and officials from several countries in the Global South faced visa denials or were refused entry into the U.S. altogether.

During FIFA’s World Cup Final Reception at Trump Tower on July 17, President Donald Trump called the tournament “the most successful sporting event, maybe in the history of the world” and said it had “really brought the world together.” Infantino told guests at the same event that the tournament had “exceeded all expectations” and called it the “greatest FIFA World Cup of all time.”

Jules Boykoff, a political science professor at Pacific University and author of Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing and the FIFA Greed Machine, told NPR that he viewed the tournament as a “massive paradox,” stating that “on one hand, it has more teams than ever participating. On the other hand, because of the policies of the Trump administration, it looks more like a World Cup of exclusion than inclusion.” Boykoff’s assessment of the World Cup is a more fitting description of the 2026 World Cup than the image of the tournament that both Trump and Infantino tried to portray.

In the end, the administration’s actions toward fans, players, and officials spoiled an otherwise successful 2026 World Cup for many of the people who were supposed to be a significant part of it.

Author Bio: John Trabulsi is a graduate student in the Master of Public and International Affairs program at the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American Studies as an undergraduate.