World Cup 2026 Thrown Into Chaos As Trump Bans Countries From Entering United States

The 2026 World Cup seems destined to be a disaster at this point – with Trump now freezing visa applications for 75 countries around the world; 15 of which are nations competing in this summer’s tournament around the US, Mexico and Canada.

Out of the 75 banned countries, here are the 15 involved in the World Cup: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Algeria, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Iran, Jordan, Senegal, Tunisia, Uruguay and Uzbekistan.

The list also includes Iraq, Jamaica and Democratic Republic of the Congo; countries which could still qualify for the tournament through playoff fixtures.

I guess Brazil is the only real big hitter there, but still – the whole tournament falls apart if this many teams and their fans can’t even make it into the United States.

Ahead of the ban being implemented on January 21, State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said: ‘Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.’

The State Department will provide exceptions for some visa applications under the new pause, but it will be ‘very limited’.

FIFA has now also warned fans and potential attendees that a match ticket won’t guarantee you entry to the country.

FIFA’s press release states: “A match ticket does not guarantee admission to a host country, and fans should visit each country’s government website today for entry requirements for Canada, Mexico and the United States.

“Given the processing times involved, FIFA recommends submitting the visa application as early as possible.

“FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket holders travelling to the United States are eligible for the recently announced FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS) when it becomes available in the coming weeks.”

Absolute palaver. Although I guess it wouldn’t be the World Cup without a load of scandals and controversies threatening to ruin everything in the run-up. Surely Trump lifts the ban by the time June rolls around?

On the plus side, Egypt & Iran would no longer have to play the officially-sanctioned ‘Pride Match’ which they’ve been desperately trying to get called off. So that’s something.