(3 Minutes Read)
Trump’s latest travel bans on citizens from 12 countries posed new questions about the impact on the World Cup and the Summer Olympics, which depend on hosts opening their doors to the world. Citizens of 12 countries should be banned from entering the U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump often says the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are among the events he is most excited about in his second term. Yet there is significant uncertainty regarding visa policies for foreign visitors planning trips to the U.S.
Trump’s latest travel bans on citizens from 12 countries posed new questions about the impact on the World Cup and the Summer Olympics, which depend on hosts opening their doors to the world. Citizens of 12 countries should be banned from entering the U.S.
They are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Tighter restrictions will apply to visitors from seven more countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Trump said some countries had “deficient” screening and vetting processes or have historically refused to take back their own citizens.Iran, a soccer power in Asia, is the only targeted country to qualify so far for the World Cup being co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in one year.
Cuba, Haiti, and Sudan are in contention. Sierra Leone might stay involved through multiple playoff games. Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, and Libya have very outside shots.
But all should be able to send teams to the World Cup if they qualify because the new policy makes exceptions for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.”
About 200 countries could send athletes to the Summer Games, including those targeted by the latest travel restrictions. The exceptions should apply to them as well if the ban continues in its current form.
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The travel ban doesn’t mention any exceptions for fans from the targeted countries wishing to travel to the U.S. for the World Cup or the Olympics. Fans of the Iranian soccer team already had issues about getting a visa for a World Cup visit.
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