FIFA has issued a statement about the upcoming World Cup as Donald Trump's travel ban continues to throw things into chaos.
It was always likely to be an unforgettable summer of football as soon as the US were confirmed as joint hosts with Mexico and Canada, and last summer's Club World Cup only added fuel to that fire.
Trump even famously crashed Chelsea's medal proceedings after they won the tournament. The US president also left members of the Juventus squad baffled during a trip to the White House, discussing bombing Iran with the Italian side.
The 79-year-old has made it clear that he doesn't want people from certain countries visiting to the US, taking the total tally to 75 this week, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem previously explained the slightly crazy reasoning behind the bans.
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In a strong-worded post on X, she wrote: "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.”
The travel ban comes into place just a few months before the tournament is set to begin, with fans of Iran, who boycotted the draw and Haiti, for whom this is a first ever World Cup, already told that they won't be able to attend.
And after Trump added a hefty amount more of countries to his list, the fans of Senegal, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Uruguay may just have had their plans thrown into doubt.
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Senegal and the Ivory Coast are under partial travel bans while the other eight countries on that list have had their immigrant visa processing suspended.
Meanwhile, Iraq, Jamaica and the Democratic Republic of the Congo also feature on the list, and they could still qualify for the tournament through playoff fixtures.
As things stand, this doesn't apply to travel visas, meaning that they can currently still visit for the summer's tournament but they will no doubt have to be extremely stringent when flying over if they don't want to find themselves in serious trouble.
FIFA has now issued a press release with an update on ticket sales, warning fans that a match ticket doesn't guarantee you entry to the country.
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"A match ticket does not guarantee admission to a host country, and fans should visit each country's government website today for entry requirements for Canada, Mexico and the United States," FIFA's press release states.
"Given the processing times involved, FIFA recommends submitting the visa application as early as possible.
"FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket holders travelling to the United States are eligible for the recently announced FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS) when it becomes available in the coming weeks."
Iranian fans will also be prohibited from visiting Canada, although that is currently the only World Cup nation on the countries travel ban list.
Even with how chaotic the World Cup draw was, fans from these countries will no doubt be devastated about the possibility of not seeing their sides play on football's biggest stage.
Topics: Donald Trump, Football, Iran, US News, World Cup, Politics
James Moorhouse