Trump’s Border Crackdown Is Wreaking Havoc on the World Cup

Key Points:

• The 2026 World Cup, hosted across the US, Canada, and Mexico, faces significant challenges related to US immigration policies, with restrictive visa conditions and border controls impacting participants from several countries, including Iran, Iraq, Senegal, and Somalia.
• Iranian players are only permitted to enter the US on match days and must leave immediately after, forcing the team to relocate its training camp to Mexico; meanwhile, some Iranian officials have been denied visas altogether.
• Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein was detained and interrogated for hours upon arrival in Chicago, and the team's official photographer was denied entry, highlighting concerns about intensified scrutiny of Arab and Muslim delegations.
• Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, despite holding a diplomatic passport and visa, was denied entry to the US due to "vetting concerns," raising questions about the fairness of immigration procedures for FIFA officials.
• Human rights groups like Amnesty International warn that the tournament risks violating fundamental freedoms due to immigration restrictions and call on FIFA to secure binding guarantees from host nations to protect participants and fans from discrimination and surveillance.