Recommendations of the Editorial team
The “biggest, most inclusive and greatest World Cup of all time” is upon us – at least that’s how FIFA President Infantino describes it at the end of May 2026. Two presidents seem to have found each other. Because everything seems to be just “great” with Trump these days – big waves of attacks against Iran and big booing in the NBA finals. Infantino is not entirely wrong: it will be the biggest World Cup that has ever taken place. At least in terms of the number of participants – increased from 32 to 48 teams, we can now look forward to nations like Congo, Haiti, Uzbekistan and Qatar. Was the increased number of teams introduced with foresight? The great “Land of the Free” doesn’t seem to welcome these nations with such open arms after all.
The immigration policy of the USA
The tournament is hosted by the host countries USA, Mexico and Canada – but all the attention is drawn to the USA. As is often the case with Trump, headline follows headline. The long-feared entry problems for various nations are increasingly becoming a reality. As recently as 2017, Infantino assured: “Everyone must be able to enter, otherwise there will be no World Cup.” At the time, the FIFA President could of course not have imagined that a FIFA Peace Prize winner would wage an active war against a participating country.
One might think that the Iranian team is only allowed to enter on match days and that individual delegation members have been completely refused entry is an exceptional case. But it’s just the tip of the iceberg, because it also affects referees hired by FIFA. Omar Artan was named Africa’s top referee in 2025, but according to The Athletic, the 34-year-old was turned away as ineligible to enter the country following additional screening at Miami airport. Omar comes from Somalia, a country that is subject to a general entry ban under the Trump administration. Iraqi player Aymen Hussein was also held at Chicago Airport for almost seven hours, according to Sportschau.
Europe is not spared either
So far, at least Somalia and Iran are on the list of countries harassed by Trump – but what about Europe? Do you still know the former Gladbacher Breel Embolo? The Swiss “Nati” player only received his visa after a subsequent check. The reason was Embolo’s altercation in a Basel nightlife district in 2018. And the Scots? The Scots are tight there too – sorry for the pun. According to the BBC, several fans had already bought the record-priced tickets only to be stuck with the costs with a refused visa.
It remains exciting to see whether all the players and fans reach the stadiums – and how much money they lose in this endeavor. It’s all “great”: big prizes, big number of teams, big production – and big waves of rejection.