The 2026 World Cup is facing growing criticism over the difficulty of entering the United States, with fans, officials and even team staff encountering visa and immigration barriers that are far stricter than those seen at recent host tournaments. In Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022, host governments made access relatively simple for visiting supporters through special entry systems such as Fan ID and Hayya cards. By contrast, the United States has been accused of making the tournament feel unwelcoming, despite the event having been backed during Donald Trump’s presidency after the country joined the bid process in 2017.
Concerns have intensified as the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has expanded, with critics saying football’s global celebration is being overshadowed by border controls and security checks. Thomas Concannon of the Football Supporters’ Association said fans could feel “less welcome” in the United States, reflecting a wider frustration among travelling supporters.
The issue is not limited to fans. Supporters of Iraq, a team not on the US travel ban list, have said they abandoned plans to attend after facing repeated obstacles. Iran has also raised alarm after saying its ticket allocation for the group stage was revoked following a US decision. The team is due to arrive in the United States for the first time on Sunday, and Iranian officials have accused the US of refusing visas to 15 key backroom staff members.
Although Iran’s squad is technically allowed to enter and leave the country via Tijuana in Mexico within a 24-hour window around each match, that arrangement has not yet been tested. The possibility that a team could fail to attend its own fixture has sparked concern over an unprecedented breakdown in tournament logistics.
The criticism has widened to Fifa itself. Fare’s Piara Powar said the scale of interrogations, exclusions and visa denials affecting coaches, administrators, staff and fans is unlike anything seen before at a World Cup. He questioned whether Fifa or the US government was effectively controlling the tournament, arguing that immigration policy appears to be overriding the sporting event.
The controversy is especially striking because the United States will co-host the World Cup, yet many involved in the tournament say the country is not behaving like a welcoming host. As Fifa struggles even to bring all referees into the country, the perception is growing that political and immigration concerns are shaping the event as much as football itself.
