Trump’s Border Rules Hit World Cup 2026: Referees, Officials Face Visa Chaos
Part of composite article 2026 World Cup in Chaos: Visa Bans, Trade Wars & $1,000 Tickets Threaten FIFA's Biggest Event View full article →
For the 2026 men’s World Cup, FIFA is running into a new problem: strict U.S. border rules under the second Trump administration. In past tournaments, FIFA easily bypassed visa issues. Brazil gave free temporary visas to ticket holders in 2014. Russia and Qatar used special fan IDs and Hayya cards as entry documents, which also offered free public transport.
But in 2026, the situation is different. The tournament is now caught in aggressive U.S. border restrictions. Several people are already affected, including referee Omar Artan and officials from Iran. The visa chaos threatens to disrupt the event before it begins.