US President Donald Trump is set to widen America's travel ban to more than 30 countries, which could potentially affect the participation of teams and fans at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Next year's FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, with Trump alleging that North America has set a new record for ticket sales.
Off the back of winning the peace prize at the World Cup draw on Friday (5 December), the president plans to add to the list of 12 countries whose citizens are banned from entry.
The controversial decision not to let foreign nationals into the US comes after last week's Thanksgiving Eve attack on two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
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Suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, has pleaded not guilty to killing Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically injuring Andrew Wolfe, 24, near the White House.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X: “I just met with the President. I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.
“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom — not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS.
“WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.”
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Noem added to Fox News that she 'won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30' countries that will be affected by the ban.
“If they don’t have a stable government there, if they don’t have a country that can sustain itself and tell us who those individuals are and help us vet them, why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States?” she said.
Meanwhile, critics argue that expanding the ban in the run-up to the World Cup will cause all sorts of issues.
Groups like Amnesty International have warned that such restrictive immigration measures risk creating a hostile environment for fans, players and staff.
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Following Trump's peace prize win, Daniel Norona, Americas advocacy director at Amnesty International USA, told Al Jazeera that it was a massive contradiction.
Norona said: “You cannot have unity if you’re promoting discrimination.
“If you’re promoting repression, and if you’re pushing to silence anyone who disagrees with you. So I don’t think that we can call this a moment of unity if they are doing the opposite of what unity means.”
The current travel ban impacts people from the following countries:
- Afghanistan
- Myanmar
- Chad
- Congo-Brazzaville
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Libya
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Yemen
The FIFA World Cup will kick off on 11 June 2026.
Topics: US News, Sport, Politics, Donald Trump, Football, World Cup
Anish Vij