The Somali Omar Abdulkadir Artan, elected best African referee in 2025, landed on Saturday June 6 in Miami to participate in the World Cup. Despite a valid visa, he was unable to go any further: after eleven hours of interrogation, he was simply refused entry into American territory. Team members and staff as well as fans with tickets were also arrested when entering American territory.
“The 2026 World Cup remains a great paradox in my eyes, admits researcher Jules Boykoff, to NPR. On the one hand, there have never been so many participating teams. On the other hand, because of the Trump administration’s measures, it looks more like a World Cup of exclusion than of inclusion.» Jules Boykoff, who is also a former professional football player, expressed his concerns about the effects of Donald Trump’s restrictive migration policies on the World Cup.
US Customs stated that “all travelers seeking to come to the United States, including athletes, coaches and staff, are subject to customs inspections and screening”. And to specify: “Decisions on admission to the territory are made on a case-by-case basis.” The vagueness has therefore not cleared up, a few days before the start of the competition.
Thirty-nine countries are subject to a total or partial ban on travel to the United States. Donald Trump explains that this measure aims to “ensure that persons granted visas do not endanger national security or public safety”…except that several of these countries are preparing to participate in the World Cup.
Icy welcome
At the Chicago airport, a player from the Iraqi team was interrogated for several hours. If he was finally admitted to the territory, a photographer affiliated with the same team was not so lucky. Each time, customs mentions “background check issues” without providing any other details.
The Trump administration has no shortage of methods to keep certain players at bay. The Iranian team, whose country is at war with the United States and Israel, is forced to stay in Mexico during the World Cup. The players’ visas were finally approved, but more than a dozen staff members did not obtain entry authorization, including Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iranian football federation.
Iran responded through its embassy, which said U.S. behavior “violated FIFA regulations and host country obligations.” The country also accused Donald Trump of“politically biased interference in sport”.
According to the Moroccan news site Hespress, more than forty Moroccan supporters had their visas refused. In 2025, FIFA President Gianni Infantino – whom the newspaper L’Équipe portrayed on its front page on Wednesday as a simple puppet of Donald Trump – had nevertheless assured that “everyone would be welcome in Canada, Mexico and the United States”.
A position that FIFA seems to have quickly forgotten following repeated entry bans. “FIFA is not involved in the immigration procedures of host countries”she finally declared. A capitulation which says a lot about the balance of power at work in this World Cup.
