The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) 2026 World Cup has been a part of multiple different controversial conversations. From the sports aspect to cost to the geopolitical stance on travel, here’s a breakdown of each controversy. Each information was provided by articles from Council on Foreign Affairs, ESPN, USA Today, and ABC.
Amnesty International, which is an organization dedicated to creating a future where human rights are enjoyed by everyone, had warned the U.S.’s new immigration and border policies could affect fans and players competing.
A Somali referee was denied entry.
Somali referee Omar Artan, according to an ESPN article, was denied entry to the U.S and refused admission to the World Cup due to an alleged “association with suspected members of terror organizations.” He was denied entry at the Miami International Airport for 11 hours and was questioned about Somali politics and the al-Shabab militant group fighting an insurgency against the government there. Artan even presented formal FIFA documentation and professional referee pictures to further demonstrate his reasoning for entering the country. After 11 hours, he was put into a holding cell and then sent back on a plane to Istanbul, which is where he had taken his connecting flight to the U.S.
Four Countries in the tournament fall under Trump’s travel ban.
Haiti and Iran are facing full entry bans, while Ivory Coast and Senegal face partial restrictions. Fans of these countries will not be able to attend World Cup games held in the U.S. unless they are U.S. residents who are dual nationals with countries on the travel ban list.
“That shouldn’t stop fans from those countries from getting tourist visas,” explained Council on Foreign Affairs (CFR), immigration expert Edward Alden. This was said in an article by the Council on Foreign Affairs. “But you can certainly expect that anybody coming from those countries is going to face an extra level of security.”
An Iraqi striker was held for questioning, and other Iraqi team affiliates were not allowed to enter the country.
Aymen Hussien, an Iraqi striker, was held for seven hours for questioning and had his phone inspected. Hussien was eventually allowed in, but one of the team’s photographers was denied entry.
Iran’s media and other officials denied entry to the U.S.
While players for the Iranian national soccer team were granted entry, several of Iran’s media staff were denied entry, as well as 15 Iranian officials and team staff. This included the head of the Iranian football federation, Mehdi Taj. The Iranian team was then forced to move its base camp to Mexico, instead of the U.S.A.
Psychological effects for traveling teams and fans.
Some fans are afraid to come to the U.S. due to the potential three hours of screening or the fear of spending all their money to just be denied access into the country. Fewer fans from their home countries could have an effect on players’ morale and performance.
Violence in Mexico.
There was reported cartel violence in Mexico that disrupted one of the stadiums that was planning to host the World Cup. This happened only months before the tournament began.
The U.S bombs Iran hours before their game against Egypt.
The U.S which is as mentioned before is a World Cup host, and while at war with Iran had made the decision to bomb the country hours before their game against Egypt. According to one the media outlet USA Today, the Iranian team was shown wearing 168 pins to represent the people and wore backpacks to represent the children who were killed during this attack.
Trump involves himself in red card reversal in the U.S.A vs Bosnia-Herzegovina game.
On Wednesday, July 1, U.S.A faced Bosnia-Herzegovina in an intense game resulting in U.S.A winning the match in a 2-0 final score. Yet in the midst of the game, U.S striker Florian Balogun received a red card, which would then make him ineligible for the next game, U.S vs Belgium. Yet, Sunday, July, 5 FIFA had made the decision to suspend this red card, allowing Balogun to participate in the Belgium game. ABC confirmed reports of President Trump reaching out to the FIFA President Gianni Ifantino and asked him to review the red card suspension during the game. Trump later spoke on his social media saying, “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice.”
These are just a few of the well-known controversies that have happened during and before the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
