This summer the FIFA World Cup returns to North America for the first time since 1994. The host triumvirate of the USA, Canada and Mexico was supposed to be a celebration of continental football growth – and a testament to the unifying power of the world’s most popular sport. But this is 2026, and Donald Trump is in charge.
The tournament takes place against the background of violently enforced nativism and US foreign policy interventionism. The Trump administration has expanded its anti-immigrant policies into a deadly surveillance and deportation machine, imposing tough travel restrictions on countries with majority Black or Muslim populations. It is currently waging war against Iran – a qualified tournament country – and is causing a global energy crisis that is driving up travel and logistics costs just before the tournament.
Countries are being backed into a corner, human rights groups are sounding the alarm, and fans are considering traveling exclusively to Canada or Mexico – or avoiding the World Cup altogether – to avoid possible encounters with a government that appears determined to make an example of foreigners.
Political shadow over the tournament
The World Cup has always been accompanied by a certain degree of political tension and resistance; When dozens of countries come together in the same place, geopolitical friction is difficult to avoid. The attention has only increased after the last two tournaments were held in Qatar and Russia – countries with well-known, notorious human rights records. FIFA may have hoped to improve the association’s tarnished reputation by awarding the 2026 World Cup to North America. But Trump’s return has only provided new fuel.
This may be the “worst time for human rights in the United States, perhaps since the civil rights movement,” Jamil Dakwar, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s human rights program, told Rolling Stone in a conversation about monitoring the upcoming tournament. The ACLU and a coalition of human rights, civil rights and immigrant groups across the board are trying to put pressure on the government, FIFA and local venues to, as Dakwar puts it, “take seriously their responsibilities and ensure that people’s basic rights are protected – whether they are travelers and fans, journalists covering sporting events, or demonstrators seeking to protest under U.S. and international human rights law.”
Since Trump’s return to office, legal visa and residence permit holders have been detained arbitrarily and for long periods of time. The rapidly expanding detention facilities for the growing number of immigration detainees are inhumane and increasingly deadly—and the Trump administration appears to believe it can crack down with impunity, regardless of any legal basis. Amid this noise, the new homeland security secretary — former Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin — has publicly asserted that ICE will be present at World Cup events as additional security, but not to “pick up masses of people.”
Travel warnings from all over the world
Yet the very presence of this violent, militarized agency puts communities and potential visitors on alert. Some countries have updated their travel advice for citizens who want to travel to the USA for the World Cup on a tourist visa. Canada warned of tensions “in the border area between Mexico and the United States” for fans with tickets to games in both countries, adding that there may be “a regional recommendation to avoid non-essential travel to any of the border states.”
Germany, France and Ireland have issued warnings about possible violence during protests in Minnesota earlier this year, where immigration authorities shot and killed two American citizens. France warns travelers against “making sudden or aggressive gestures or raising your voice when speaking to American law enforcement.” Australia has warned travelers that US officials may attempt to “inspect electronic devices, emails, text messages or social media accounts” and that “participation in a rally or demonstration (including online) may be considered a violation of immigration status and may result in deportation or rejection of a visa and/or immigration application.” New Zealand has upgraded its threat assessment for citizens visiting the US, warning of an increased risk of school shootings and terrorist attacks – from both domestic and international actors.
The updated travel advice essentially revolves around the idea that visitors should carry proof of identity and proof of their legal status with them at all times in order to be prepared in the event of an encounter with immigration authorities. Some countries have found themselves caught in the wake of America’s isolationist course and are faced with their citizens simply being barred from entering the United States. Under the Trump administration’s expanded travel restrictions, visitors from nearly 40 countries are subject to full or partial entry bans.
Africa and the Middle East in focus
Travel concerns are particularly serious for potential visitors from Africa and the Middle East. The World Cup has expanded its field this year, with Africa sending 10 qualified countries for the first time in the tournament’s history. Ebenezer Obadare, senior fellow for African studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, complains to Rolling Stone that instead of being a story about the sport’s growth and increased standards across continents, the World Cup is being overshadowed by “uncertainty” surrounding travel and the Trump administration. “This is extraordinary,” he says.
Obadare reports that many of the interested African fans he has spoken to are considering attending games in Mexico instead of the United States. “They say: ‘This is the first time in my life that I have this chance, and Mexico doesn’t send the same signals as the USA. So we’re all going to Mexico’ – and: ‘If Mexico doesn’t work, then we’ll go to Canada.'”
Last month, the ACLU issued a travel alert for potential visitors highlighting the risk of arbitrary detention or denial of entry by immigration authorities, expanded entry restrictions, increased social media surveillance, and possible mistreatment by immigration authorities.
FIFA under pressure
These risks, along with entry restrictions, made the World Cup “less universal, less open and welcoming,” says Dakwar. “The Trump administration has repeatedly demonstrated its intent to violate human rights without any accountability. But FIFA, as far as I know, has not withdrawn from its human rights commitments.”
Amnesty International, a leading global human rights organization, has issued its own travel alert warning of “violent and unconstitutional immigration enforcement, including racial profiling,” the suppression of freedom of expression, invasive controls, and the “serious risk of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and, in some cases, death in immigration detention facilities or custody.”
Daniel Noroña, Advocacy Director for the Americas at Amnesty International, tells Rolling Stone that FIFA has made public commitments to which it is bound in response to previous concerns about human rights in host countries. In 2017, the international sports federation adopted its first “Human Rights Policy,” which required it to consider human rights and civil rights issues when selecting host countries, establish reporting mechanisms for suspected World Cup-related violations, and develop strategies to uphold “labor rights, anti-discrimination, freedom of the press and freedom of expression.”
Palestinian flags and enforcement gaps
“If we have met with FIFA and the host cities and they say that they are doing everything to get the assurance that certain banners and certain statements from security officers in the stadiums will not be banned, we for our part have no certainty that this will actually be implemented,” adds Noroña, referring to the real lack of enforcement mechanisms.
He points to the government’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters and activists who were arrested by immigration authorities despite having legal residency status. “What happens if someone comes to the tournament with a Palestinian flag? Palestine is actually a member of FIFA because it is a national entity – so it is at this point [theoretisch] protected.”
“FIFA has a lot of scope to pressure the government to relax certain regulations so that the tournament can go ahead as planned – but we haven’t really seen that so far,” he added.
Visa facilitation and political tactics
On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced it would suspend expensive visa guarantees (some as high as $15,000 per person) for visa applicants from some countries with qualifying World Cup teams, including Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia.
The announcement came amid international outrage over the possibility that the harsh entry restrictions could also apply to teams and their support staff. The White House has also denied that members of the Iraqi national soccer team were denied entry visas. Applicants from Middle Eastern countries, including Turkey and Jordan, have reported difficulties in going through the burdensome approval process.
According to a New York Times report in April, a Trump adviser tried to pressure the president and FIFA to replace Iran with Italy – which had not qualified – just weeks before the tournament was scheduled to start. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has repeatedly reiterated that Iran will not be excluded from the tournament given ongoing hostilities with the United States.
Infantino’s tightrope act
From Obadare’s perspective, FIFA and Infantino are walking a tightrope with the Trump administration. “What would I do if I were FIFA President and was stuck between the devil that is President Trump and the need to host a successful tournament?” he asks. An angry Trump could revoke countries’ visas without regard to the association’s position. “I can’t judge this man, can I? So what do I do? I give him this special trophy. I flatter him,” he added – a reference to the controversial FIFA “Peace Prize” that Infantino awarded Trump last year.
Everyone is hoping that the World Cup will be a successful month with really good football – and a safe environment for fans and players, whether from home or abroad. From Obadare’s perspective, the Trump administration is projecting its “fears about immigration and [nicht-christlichen] Religions” on a global sporting event that has historically been a place of cross-cultural exchange. Most of the passionate soccer fan base – and the grown fan culture – exists outside the United States. Given the current instability in the United States, especially towards immigrants, many of those who “dance, who cheer, who shout, who will add to the vibrancy of the atmosphere” will end up staying home.
