What the Trump travel ban means for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games

By Canadian Press on June 5, 2025.

GENEVA (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump often says the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are among the events he is most excited about in his second term.

Yet there is significant uncertainty regarding visa policies for foreign visitors planning trips to the U.S. for the two biggest events in sports.

Trump’s latest travel ban on citizens from 12 countries added new questions about the impact on the World Cup and the Summer Olympics, which depend on hosts opening their doors to the world.

Here’s a look at the potential effects of the travel ban on those events.

What is the travel ban policy?

When Sunday ticks over to Monday, citizens of 12 countries should be banned from entering the U.S.

They are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Tighter restrictions will apply to visitors from seven more: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

Trump said some countries had “deficient” screening and vetting processes or have historically refused to take back their own citizens.

How does it affect the World Cup and Olympics?

Iran, a soccer power in Asia, is the only targeted country to qualify so far for the World Cup being co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico in one year’s time.

Cuba, Haiti and Sudan are in contention. Sierra Leone might stay involved through multiple playoff games. Burundi, Equatorial Guinea and Libya have very outside shots.

But all should be able to send teams to the World Cup if they qualify because the new policy makes exceptions for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.”

About 200 countries could send athletes to the Summer Games, including those targeted by the latest travel restrictions. The exceptions should apply to them as well if the ban is still in place in its current form.

What about fans?

The travel ban doesn’t mention any exceptions for fans from the targeted countries wishing to travel to the U.S. for the World Cup or Olympics.

Even before the travel ban, fans of the Iran soccer team living in that country already had issues about getting a visa for a World Cup visit.

Still, national team supporters often profile differently to fans of club teams who go abroad for games in international competitions like the UEFA Champions League.

For many countries, fans traveling to the World Cup — an expensive travel plan with hiked flight and hotel prices — are often from the diaspora, wealthier, and could have different passport options.

A World Cup visitor is broadly higher-spending and lower-risk for host nation security planning.

Visitors to an Olympics are often even higher-end clients, though tourism for a Summer Games is significantly less than at a World Cup, with fewer still from most of the 19 countries now targeted.

How is the U.S. working with FIFA, Olympic officials?

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has publicly built close ties since 2018 to Trump — too close according to some. He has cited the need to ensure FIFA’s smooth operations at a tournament that will earn a big majority of the soccer body’s expected $13 billion revenue from 2023-26.

Infantino sat next to Trump at the White House task force meeting on May 6 which prominently included Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. FIFA’s top delegate on the task force is Infantino ally Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs partner whose two-year run as U.S. Soccer Federation president ended in controversy in 2020.

Any visa and security issues FIFA faces — including at the 32-team Club World Cup that kicks off next week in Miami — can help LA Olympics organizers finesse their plans.

“I don’t anticipate any, any problems from any countries to come and participate,” LA Games chairman Casey Wasserman told International Olympic Committee officials in March.

He revealed then, at an IOC meeting in Greece, two discreet meetings with Trump and noted the State Department has a ”fully staffed desk” to help prepare for short-notice visa processing in the summer of 2028 — albeit with a focus on teams rather than fans.

“Irrespective of politics today,” Wasserman said in March, “America will be open and accepting to all 209 countries for the Olympics.”

FIFA and the IOC didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about the new Trump travel ban.

What have other host nations done?

The 2018 World Cup host Russia let fans enter the country with a game ticket doubling as their visa. So did Qatar four years later.

Both governments, however, also performed background checks on all visitors coming to the month-long soccer tournaments.

Governments have refused entry to unwelcome visitors. For the 2012 London Olympics, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko — who is still its authoritarian leader today — was denied a visa despite also leading its national Olympic body. The IOC also suspended him from the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and AP Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press

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When Portugal went out of Euro 2024 on penalties last summer, everyone presumed that would be the last we’d see of Cristiano Ronaldo in green and red. Aged 39, he’d scored 130 goals for a Portugal side he’d served with distinction at five previous major tournaments but last year’s jamboree in Germany seemd a step too far. A starter in each of his nation’s five matches, he finished all but one of them, took 29 shots on goal without scoring and despite being a preening, narcissistic passenger was kept on the pitch for the entirety of Portugal’s quarter-final stalemate against France. Meanwhile on the subs’ bench, the likes of Diogo Jota, Gonçalo Ramos and Pedro Neto looked on wistfully, powerless to have any impact due to manager Roberto Martínez’s refusal to withdraw his talisman from the field of play. In the various postmortems that followed Portugal’s exit, it was widely accepted that the time had come for the Martínez to sling his hook and for Ronaldo to retire, so a new generation of Portuguese talent could go about their business unencumbered by the shadow cast by his almost supernaturally monstrous ego.

That being the case, it seems quite a few people in high places didn’t get the memo. On Wednesday night a Portugal team selected by Martínez and featuring Ronaldo beat Germany in the semi-final of the Nations League. What’s more, it was his lordship who stroked home the winning goal from a Nuno Mendes cross as his side came from behind to earn their place in Sunday’s final against France or Spain. “Onwards, Portugal!” parped Ronaldo after the victory, prompting his many fanboys to cite his tap-in as vindication for his inclusion in a squad that anyone with functioning eyes can see he should not be in. We’ll get to his short-term future presently, but the long-term plans of this self-absorbed diva seem abundantly clear; Cristiano Ronaldo wants to play in the World Cup as a 41-year-old and, with Martínez in charge, is almost certain to be indulged again despite the damage his presence will almost certainly cause the Portugal team.

For now, however, Ronaldo’s immediate future remains up in the air, but with Gianni Infantino having created a transfer window with what seems like the specific intention of engineering his presence at the Club World Cup despite his club Al-Nassr’s failure to qualify, it would be foolish of the player not to avail of it. Last week, Ronaldo posted a come-and-get-me plea on social media disgraces that could scarcely have been more clear, despite being widely reported as a “cryptic message” by outlets who remain in awe of his every utterance, however banal. “This chapter is over,” he chirped, following the latest in an ongoing list of failures to win anything with the Saudi club. “The story? Still being written. Grateful to all.” One suspects he and Infantino would be particularly grateful to any participating club prepared to crowbar him into their lineup before an ill-advised vanity project that’s struggling to shift tickets. But for now, the man who fired so many blanks at Euro 2024 remains a gun for hire.

LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE

Join Rob Smyth from 8pm BST for hot Nations League semi-final updates from Spain 2-1 France.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“People are probably quite confused and think I have disappeared. Everyone forgets about you” – Joe Morrell gets his chat on with Ben Fisher, with the Wales midfielder now ready for a return to action after 16 long months stuck on the sidelines.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

As a long-time Tolkien fan, I was very pleased to see the ‘You shall not pass’ subhead at the top of yesterday’s Football Daily. My pleasure turned to dismay when I saw all the references after it were from Return of the King, which that line isn’t in. People. Come on. ‘The way is shut’ was right there!” – John Kozempel.

May I be the first of probably no others to point out that in Tolkien’s book, unlike Peter Jackson’s film, the return of the hobbits to the Shire is a moment of utmost importance. Gandalf himself describes it as what all their ‘training’ (essentially, saving the rest of the world) has been truly for. He goes on to encourage the hobbits to make up their own tactics for the challenge ahead – a degree of liberty that Thomas Tuchel seems unlikely to grant, even against Andorra” – Luke Davydaitis.

Re: yesterday’s Football Daily letters. David Lambley was quite right about forgetting 3UP, but aimed a notch too high with 8UP. Surely, the marketing bigwigs of the National League should be campaigning for 7UP. Not only would it avoid the gnashing of teeth over how many points the second-placed team finishes ahead of the seventh-placed team, but more importantly, there would be a ready-made soft drinks sponsor to pump money into the league. But I guess this is just pure Fanta-sy” – Phil Hearn.

I see Rio Ferdinand believes he is a laughing stock as a pundit because of the risible performance of one of his former teams (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). I’m not quite sure how yelling ‘Ballon d’Or’ repeatedly or calling sportswashing a ‘victory for football’ can be laid at the door of Old Trafford, especially at the time when other Manchester United alumni are respected. However, as someone who is taking an enormous amount of pleasure from watching Big Sir Jim’s Carry on up the Creek Without a Paddle, watching Rio stick the boot in can only enhance my enjoyment. Carry on that man” – Colin Reed.

If you do have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Phil Hearn. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here.

Donald Trump’s newly signed travel ban contains an exemption that could apply to players, staff or associated families with clubs participating in the 2025 Club World Cup, the 2026 Fifa World Cup or the 2028 Olympics.

The US president has signed a sweeping order banning travel from 12 countries and restricting travel from seven others, reviving and expanding the travel bans from his first term.

The nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen will be “fully” restricted from entering the US, according to the proclamation. Meanwhile, the entry of nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will be partly restricted.

2:29 Trump issues travel ban, barring US entry for people from 12 countries – video

There is an exemption, however, outlined in section 4 of the order, which states that “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state” are not subject to the ban.

A Fifa spokesperson declined to comment when asked if the governing body had lobbied for the exception’s placement. The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, has gone out of his way to appear publicly with Trump in recent months, taking a seat next to the president at the first public meeting of his World Cup taskforce and arriving late to the Fifa Congress in order to meet with Trump during his tour of the Middle East.

It is also not clear whether the “World Cup” mentioned in the exemption applies to both the 2026 World Cup involving international teams and the 2025 Club World Cup, which will feature many of the world’s top club teams in venues across the US this year.

Also unclear is whether the ban will force US-based players who play internationally for countries subject to the ban to return from the current Fifa international window early. Venezuela, for example, have three players on its squad who play in Major League Soccer. They are scheduled to play two World Cup qualifiers: one against Bolivia on Friday night and another against Uruguay on Tuesday. Trump’s travel ban is set to come into action on Monday 9 June.

Teams that have qualified for the Club World Cup employ 10 players from countries named in the travel ban. They are: Inter Miami’s Telasco Segovia (Venezuela), Botafogo’s Jefferson Savarino (Venezuela), Espérance de Tunis’s Roger Aholou (Togo), LAFC’s David Martínez (Venezuela), Internazionale’s Mehdi Taremi (Iran), Ulsan’s Matías Lacava (Venezuela), Al-Ain’s Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba (Togo), Josna Loulendo (Republic of Congo) and Mohamed Awadalla (Sudan), as well as Pachuca’s Salomón Rondón (Venezuela).

Only one country on the travel ban list, Iran, has already qualified for the 2026 World Cup. Venezuela are seventh in South American qualifying, five points behind Colombia for an automatic World Cup place but still in the picture to qualify via an inter-confederation playoff. Equatorial Guinea and Libya are mathematically still alive in African qualifying but unlikely to progress to the next round. Sudan are third in their World Cup qualifying group, just one point from automatic qualification. Haiti look good to reach the next round of Concacaf World Cup qualification.

The Trump administration announced a sweeping travel ban for a dozen countries and restrictions on seven others, barring citizens of certain places from entering the United States with certain exceptions.

The move echoes a similar initiative Donald Trump rolled out during his first presidential term. He pits this one as an outgrowth of the recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it highlighted the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. The suspect in that attack, though, was from Egypt — not on Trump’s list.

So which countries are on Trump’s list, and who do the exemptions cover? Here are the details.

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12 countries on Trump travel ban list

Afghanistan

Chad

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Haiti

Iran

Libya

Myanmar

Republic of the Congo

Somalia

Sudan

Yemen

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7 countries with restricted U.S. travel

Burundi

Cuba

Laos

Sierra Leone

Togo

Turkmenistan

Venezuela

Who is exempt from Trump travel ban?

House Passes Bill to Rename Gulf of Mexico as ‘Gulf of America’ in 211-206 Vote (Photo: Executive Office of the President of the United States / Public domain)

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a sweeping travel ban barring entry into the United States for citizens of 12 countries and imposing partial restrictions on seven others, while exempting athletes and related personnel participating in upcoming global sporting events including the 2025 Club World Cup, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The proclamation, released late Wednesday and taking effect Monday at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time, fully restricts nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. A second tier of countries-Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela-faces limited entry restrictions.

The administration cited concerns over national security, vetting procedures, and cooperation on repatriation as the basis for the ban. The proclamation states that the identified countries “lack sufficient vetting and screening processes needed to detect foreign nationals who may pose safety or terrorism threats to the U.S.”

However, the policy includes carve-outs for specific groups. Section 4 of the proclamation exempts “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.”

The wording of the exemption leaves ambiguity. It is unclear whether the term “World Cup” applies solely to the 2026 FIFA men’s tournament or also to the 2025 Club World Cup, which is set to take place in the United States. Players from affected nations currently slated to participate in the Club World Cup include Telasco Segovia, Jefferson Savarino, Roger Aholou, David Martínez, Mehdi Taremi, Matías Lacava, Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba, Josna Loulendo, Mohamed Awadalla, and Salomón Rondón-representing clubs from Venezuela, Togo, the Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Iran.

A FIFA spokesperson declined to comment when asked if the organization lobbied for the inclusion of the exemption. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has appeared repeatedly with Trump in recent months and was notably absent from the FIFA Congress to attend a meeting with the president during his Middle East tour.

The exemption may also affect international competitions currently underway. Venezuela, which is partially restricted under the new policy, has three players on its World Cup qualifying roster who play for MLS clubs. They are scheduled to face Bolivia and Uruguay in qualifying matches, just as the ban comes into effect.

The ban applies to foreigners who are outside the U.S. and lack valid visas as of June 9. U.S. permanent residents and travelers who can provide “clear and convincing evidence of identity and family relationship,” including DNA documentation, are exempted.

Trump referenced the recent attack on Jewish protestors in Boulder, Colorado, in a White House video, blaming immigration vulnerabilities. The attacker, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, is an Egyptian national. Egypt is not listed among the countries affected by the ban.

This is the second time Trump has instituted a travel ban. His 2017 executive order barring travel from several Muslim-majority nations was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018 and reversed by President Joe Biden in 2021.

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Democratic lawmakers quickly condemned the renewed policy. “Make no mistake: Trump’s latest travel ban will NOT make America safer,” Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., posted on X. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., similarly decried the move, calling it discriminatory and dangerous.