FIFA 2026 The World Cup starts on Thursday in Mexico with joy and fanfare, but a different story is unfolding in the United States. Visa bans targeting people of color and those attempting to fly from countries on the federal government’s “travel restriction list” are denied entry to the United States, which has extended to players, officials and team employees. Little information is given about the denial of temporary visas, which helps underline why the United States, at this time, should not have been granted the role of host of this World Cup.
Switzerland’s Breel Embolo made headlines last week when the team’s best forward was denied entry to the United States hours before the national team’s departure. Embolo was placed under a “visa review,” and officials raised concerns about his criminal record. The soccer star was accused of communicating threats in 2023, which carried a light sentence of a suspended fine. The nature of the visa review raised serious questions in light of Embolo’s relatively minor infraction and also the inescapable fact that he is a person of color with an African name. Embolo was allowed entry after appeal, but visa denial is questionable whereas the State Department’s own website claims that he would have been allowed entry because his crime did not carry a prison sentence of more than six months nor did it involve drugs.
The pressure allowed Embolo to travel to the World Cup, but the same cannot be said for referee Omar Artan. Artan, a Somali national, was set to make his debut as the first Somali referee to officiate a World Cup match after being named African Referee of the Year 2025. Artan was detained at Miami International Airport for unidentified “investigative concerns” and denied entry into the United States. He was removed from the tournament’s referee list by FIFA and returned to a hero’s welcome in the capital, Mogadishu.. It is unclear why Artan was banned, other than Somalia is on the “travel restriction list” implemented by the Trump administration and overwhelmingly targets African nations as well as predominantly Muslim countries.
The Iraqi World Cup team also faced problems at the border, this time at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Star player Aymen Hussein was detained by immigration officials and subjected to seven hours of questioning before being allowed entry. The team’s official photographer, Talal Salah, was also detained for questioning. but was denied entry after 10 hours of questioning over similar “investigative concerns” that led to Omar Artan being denied entry.. Salah, a veteran sports photojournalist, was intended to document Iraq’s first World Cup appearance in 40 years, and last appeared in 1986.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House World Cup Task Force, who only got the job because he is Rudy Giuliani’s son, did not elaborate on the reported detentions and deportations other than to defend the denials and say the right decisions were made.
The biggest test of US immigration policies is underway, with thousands of fans traveling from abroad to attend the World Cup. The United States has denied entry to all Iraqi fans, leaving its fan sections empty for the group stage, and with each passing day more stories of people being detained emerge.
The lack of transparency is causing a global backlash against the United States for its border policies. Some of the bans appear to be isolated, specific incidents, but broader actions such as banning each fan of Iraq makes the restrictions appear to be based solely on nationality, not specific concerns.
The World Cup is supposed to be the biggest global sporting celebration after the Olympic Games, but there is already a cloud hanging over the event before the first kickoff. It seems as if the United States is choosing who is allowed in based on nationality. With the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, condemning the United States this Wednesday for its border policiesis concerned about citing racial profiling in the visa entry process.
It was always clear that this was going to happen. The writing was on the wall that we were going to see gigantic problems around immigration enforcement for the World Cup, and now that’s happening. Meanwhile, FIFA remains conveniently silent, happy to brush aside criticism and claim that the United States has the right to ban whoever it wants, while fans who spent money on tickets, airfare and accommodation are left holding the bag.
