Trump’s immigration crackdown overshadows World Cup kickoff as players frisked, visas denied, and Iran forced to decamp to Mexico
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup about to kick off in the US, Canada, and Mexico, the tournament has been marred by invasive security checks on African and Asian teams, the expulsion of a top referee, and visa denials that forced Iran to relocate its base camp to Mexico, all under Trump’s hardline immigration policies.
US immigration enforcement hits teams and officials
Several teams from Africa and Asia have been subjected to unusual security protocols upon arrival. On Monday, Uzbekistan’s squad was met by security agents as they stepped off their bus in New York, frisked one by one, and ordered to leave their belongings for police dog inspection. Coach Fabio Cannavaro, the Italian world champion, complained:
A day earlier, the Senegalese delegation was searched on the tarmac at Raleigh airport before a flight to San Antonio; the Senegalese Federation later said the procedure was agreed with authorities to expedite travel.They told me it was the rules, but at the end the control was only for us.
The most consequential case involved Omar Artan, the Somali referee named Africa’s best in 2025. According to The New York Times, Artan was interrogated for 11 hours, detained, and then expelled from the United States, despite holding a diplomatic visa. He lamented:
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House for the World Cup, justified the refusal:I am very disappointed. I am only a referee who wanted to fulfill his dream: go to a World Cup.
He who communicates with evil actors planning to harm the US does not enter. No matter how big the event if it threatens Americans.
Swiss striker Breel Embolo had his electronic travel authorization approved, yet three hours before his flight he was told to report to the embassy for additional checks, joining his team two days late. South Africa’s trip was delayed by visa hurdles that the country’s sports minister called "shameful and manifestly unjust."
Iran's unprecedented situation as an adversary host
The deepest rift is with Iran, which is in active military conflict with the United States. On February 28, the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing supreme leader Ali Jamenei; a fragile ceasefire has held since April. Despite the Iranian sports minister initially declaring that the national team could not participate in a country that "assassinated our leader," the players insisted:
FIFA confirmed Iran’s place.Nobody can exclude us. The body that governs this tournament is FIFA, not any individual country.
Yet the practical obstacles have been severe. The team requested that all its matches be moved to Mexico; FIFA refused. Its official camp, originally in Tucson, Arizona, was relocated to Tijuana after repeated visa difficulties. Fifteen delegation members, including federation president Mehdi Taj, were denied visas over alleged links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Coach Amir Ghalenoei said the side arrived a week late, losing crucial adaptation time to a 12-hour time difference.
Crucially, US authorities only allow the Iranians to enter American territory the night before each match—a condition the Department of Homeland Security attributed to "the generosity of President Donald Trump." Trump had earlier warned Iran not to stay in the US "for its own life and security" and urged them to leave the tournament. The federation also lost its ticket allocation, despite fans having made travel plans.
- US and Israel launch operations against Iran, killing ayatollah Ali Jamenei and sparking a regional conflict
- 2026 FIFA World Cup begins with the US hosting 78 of 104 matches
FIFA’s muted response and the shadow of Trump’s praise
FIFA has taken a markedly passive line. On the Artan case, it said:
This contrasts with a 2025 speech by president Gianni Infantino, who declared:FIFA does not intervene in the host country's immigration processes, including visa decisions, and the authorities have informed that Mr. Artan's situation will not change for the time being.
Everyone will be welcome in the United States, Canada and Mexico for the World Cup. We are working exactly on that.
The contradiction is underscored by FIFA’s own December 2025 decision to award Trump a Peace Prize for his "extraordinary work to promote dialogue and de-escalation" — a gesture now at odds with the reality of a host country at war with one of the participants and denying entry to others under a travel ban list.
A World Cup under a domestic crackdown
The immigration enforcement fits a broader pattern. Trump’s administration has deported over 400,000 people in 2025 and maintains a list of 39 "prohibited countries" (a separate article mentions 19 countries for travel ban). Somalia, Artan’s origin, is on it. Thousands of fans, journalists and officials are reported to have been unable to enter the United States, compounding the effect of what is already the most expensive World Cup in history.
The tournament begins June 12 with 78 of the 104 matches in the US, but the incidents have put the integrity of the competition into question, leaving teams from several regions at a disadvantage.
