Problems before the World Cup
These countries are on Trump’s black entry list
Updated June 9, 2026 – 12:39 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Entering the USA for the World Cup is not easy for everyone. The reason is the entry policy under Donald Trump. Because many countries are on a black list.
Before the upcoming World Cup in North America, the USA’s entry policy is causing problems. There are increasing reports of people who are unable to enter the host country. Even a referee is affected.
Since the beginning of this year, there have been a total of 75 countries affected by the restrictions under US President Donald Trump. However, there are differences in dealing with these countries. While visas are no longer processed for some citizens, there is a general entry ban for others. An overview.
75 countries affected by restrictions
Donald Trump’s government has been expanding entry restrictions since January 21st of this year. Since then, visa processing has been suspended indefinitely for 75 countries. According to US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott, “The Trump administration is putting an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would drain wealth from American citizens.”
The countries affected include Russia. 17 of the 48 World Cup participating nations are also affected: Algeria, Egypt, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Haiti, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Cape Verde, Colombia, DR Congo, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Uruguay and Uzbekistan. According to the US government, tourist and business visas are still possible.
Some countries have a complete entry ban
For a large part of the 75 countries, the visa stop is of little importance anyway, as significantly stricter rules already applied to them in advance. In December, Trump expanded this list to 38 states. Entry bans apply at least partially to half of the list. This includes the World Cup participants Ivory Coast and Senegal.
A further 19 countries, however, have a general entry ban. There are also World Cup nations among them. Citizens of Iran and the DR Congo are therefore generally no longer allowed to enter the USA. There is a limited exemption for the Iranian team: they will camp in Mexico during the tournament and are only allowed to enter the USA on match days. Several officials apparently received no visa at all, and Iranian fans received neither tickets nor visas. The Congolese team, however, was allowed entry.