On Wednesday night, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a travel ban against 12 countries in a move he described as “protecting the national security and national interest of the United States and its people.”

The ban goes into effect on Monday, and it entails a ban against travel into the United States by citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. This ban relates to the entry of both immigrants and non-immigrants.

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Trump also imposed partial restrictions and limits on the entry of nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

From a soccer perspective, the news is particularly significant because FIFA is hosting two tournaments in the United States over the next 13 months — first the FIFA Club World Cup, which will begin June 14, and then the World Cup in 2026, which will be shared with Canada and Mexico. Iran has already qualified for the tournament, while several countries facing travel bans are in contention to qualify. Additionally, Concacaf is hosting the Gold Cup this summer in the United States, with Haiti one of the competing teams. There are also players from Sudan, Venezuela and Iran due to compete in the Club World Cup.

The Athletic breaks down the instant questions that are raised by Trump’s travel ban.

What will the impact be for national teams visiting the United States for the World Cup in 2026?

The good news for FIFA is that the executive order contains an exemption 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.”

This would appear to suggest, therefore, that Iran, whose qualification has already been assured for the World Cup in 2026, will be able to send a team and support staff to compete at the tournament. However, players will not be able to bring friends and family who are Iranian nationals beyond “immediate relatives.”

Trump’s executive order describes Iran as a “state sponsor of terrorism,” adding that the state “regularly fails to cooperate with the United States Government in identifying security risks.”

Iran became one of the first teams to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. (Fatemeh Bahrami / Anadolu via Getty Images)

Among the nations with full travel bans, Haiti is currently the best-placed team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, having won its first two games in the second round of Concacaf’s qualification process to sit second in its five-team group. The top two from each of the six groups of five progress into the third round — where 12 teams remain — and three nations are guaranteed access to the World Cup with an additional two Concacaf teams to enter into the intercontinental playoffs.

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In Africa, Libya has an outside chance of making the World Cup, currently placed third in a group of six after six matches. The four best runners-up from the 10 African groups will enter into a playoff tournament to stand a chance of qualifying for the World Cup. Both Haiti and Libya would be in the same position as Iran, should they qualify, whereby they are permitted to attend as teams — but there does not appear to be an exception for nationals of those teams who might wish to travel to the tournament to support their country during the competition.

Among the nations with partial travel bans, Venezuela is currently placed seventh in the South America qualification table, which would enter them into an intercontinental playoff. Cuba lies third in its five-team Concacaf group, with a game in hand on second-place Bermuda after two games played. Sierra Leone is also third in group play in the CAF qualification phase to remain in with a chance of qualification.

Will any teams be impacted at the Concacaf Gold Cup in the summer of 2025?

The Gold Cup begins June 14 and ends July 6, with all matches except one due to be played in the United States.

The only competing nation impacted by the travel ban is Haiti, an opponent of the USMNT in the group stage of the competition. Saudi Arabia and Trinidad and Tobago make up the four-team group.

The exemption listed by Trump’s executive order refers to athletes and teams being allowed to “travel for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State.”

Haiti is one of the challengers for the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer and is set to face the United States. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)

The Gold Cup is not specified and therefore it must be determined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Athletic contacted both Concacaf and the Department of State to seek clarity on the matter and to ask whether Haiti will be granted entry with the White House later confirming, following publication, that both the Club World Cup and Gold Cup are considered major sporting events, meaning it appears they will be able to play.

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Trump’s executive order cited overstay percentages on visas by Haitian citizens within the U.S. and claimed “hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden Administration.” The order claimed that this “harms American communities by creating acute risks of increased overstay rates, establishment of criminal networks, and other national security threats.”

What will the impact be for supporters who wish to watch these teams compete in the United States during the next year?

While exemptions appear to have been made for athletes, teams and immediate relatives, further-reaching exemptions for supporters do not appear to be present in the executive order. Exemptions are made for nationals of designated countries who are traveling on government business, NATO business or those who are lawful permanent residents of the United States, as well as those who are dual citizens and traveling with a passport from the non-designated country. There will also be entry granted to Iranians on immigrant visas owing to ethnic or religious persecution in their home country.

These exemptions aside, however, it appears that entry will be limited for nationals from those countries who face partial and full travel bans. Venezuela and Cuba, for example, have had temporary tourist visa access forbidden. It also appears that Haitians will be forbidden from entering the U.S. to support their team at the Gold Cup this summer or if they qualify for the World Cup next summer.

What does this mean for the FIFA Club World Cup this summer?

The 32 teams who will be competing in FIFA’s revamped club competition this summer are not from any of the countries impacted by the travel ban.

There are, however, some players who are potentially at risk of being affected. The exemption in the executive order, as explained above, states that allowances will be made for athletes and immediate relatives coming for the World Cup or “other major sporting events,” as determined by the Secretary of State. The Club World Cup is not specified in the document. The White House confirmed to The Athletic following publication that both competitions are considered major sporting events with participants therefore appearing to be exempt from the ban. A State Department spokesperson did not directly respond when asked about the tournaments’ status, saying only: “We are implementing the President’s directive to secure U.S. borders and protect American communities and citizens.”

A quick browse of the squads offers up potential challenges. At the Abu Dhabi club Al-Ain, for example, is the Sudanese player Mohamed Awadalla, and his country has seen all visas blocked — meaning he may require an exemption — while Inter Milan Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi may also be in the same position.

Salomón Rondón and his Venezuela teammates may find themselves exempt from the travel ban. (Juan Mabromata / AFP via Getty Images)

The Venezuelan trio of Matías Lacava, Salomón Rondón and Jefferson Savarino — at Ulsan, Pachuca and Botafogo, respectively — may also require exemptions, even though the partial travel ban inflicted upon Venezuelan nationals does not extend to those seeking to come to the U.S. on the P-1 visa. This is used when an athlete seeks to come to the U.S. as part of a team at an internationally recognized level of performance. However, ordinarily this would only be used if they have contracts with teams in the United States. For example, MLS, NBA, MLB international players are either on a P1 or a green card. Those coming in for temporary competitions would ordinarily do so on B1 or B2 visa – a temporary visa for business or tourist purposes – both of which are now blocked for Venezuela. As such, these players will also be hoping that the Club World Cup is labelled as a major sporting event.

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On Wednesday, as part of our report tracking FIFA’s difficulties in filling stadiums for the Club World Cup, FIFA told The Athletic that supporters from more than 130 countries had acquired tickets for this summer’s tournament. We have now approached FIFA to ask whether any nationals from countries impacted by the travel ban have acquired tickets for the tournament, as well as if any exemptions will be made to enable them to enter the country, or if these supporters can otherwise expect refunds.

What have FIFA and the White House said previously about teams and fans being able to attend the World Cup?

Back in 2017, before the U.S. secured the World Cup a year later, FIFA President Gianni Infantino told reporters: “It’s obvious when it comes to FIFA competitions, any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup.”

Additionally, as part of the United States’ joint bid with Canada and Mexico to host the World Cup — dated May 2, 2018 — Trump wrote to Infantino and said he was confident that “all eligible athletes, officials and fans from all countries around the world would be able to enter the United States without discrimination.”

The Athletic has approached the White House for comment.

Earlier this year, Infantino said: “America will welcome the world. Everyone who wants to come here to enjoy, to have fun and to celebrate the game will be able to do that.”

Infantino also claimed that the two FIFA tournaments over the next year would generate almost $50 billion in economic output for the U.S. The question, however, is whether repeated news cycles about a more stringent approach to entering the U.S. may dissuade global travelers from attending both the tournament this summer and next year’s World Cup, leaving FIFA more reliant on a domestic audience and host cities at risk of falling short of their economic impact, as tourists are likelier to spend more money.

Speaking about the World Cup, Vice President J.D. Vance last month said during a meeting of the White House’s World Cup task force: “Of course everyone is welcome to come and see this wonderful event. We want them to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the games.

“But when the time is up, we want them to go home, otherwise they will have to talk to Secretary Noem,” he said, referring to Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security.

(Top photo: Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images)

Sergiño Dest is the latest core member of the United States men’s national team who will not be playing in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. The PSV right back missed nearly a year after tearing his ACL in April 2024 but was able to make seven appearances down the stretch as his team stormed back to win the Eredivisie. Nevertheless, managing that injury remains the priority rather than throwing him into the competition despite his appearance in training over the last week.

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“The technical, medical and high performance staffs have done a series of evaluations this week on all the players in camp, and in the case of Sergiño we determined the best decision is for the player to have an individualized training program for the summer so he can focus on being fully recovered and ready to perform next season,” head coach Mauricio Pochettino said a statement.

Dest joins a long list of mainstays who are missing this Gold Cup, including Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Folarin Balogun, and Antonee Robinson for injuries or personal reasons; Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna also miss out, as their clubs’ involvement in the Club World Cup precludes their international involvement. Josh Sargent was also omitted as a coach’s decision. As such, Pochettino didn’t have much work to do as he revealed the USMNT’s final squad on Thursday.

Having initially called in a 27-man training squad that required a sole dismissal, Pochettino saw five players depart his camp. Goalkeepers Patrick Schulte (oblique) and Zack Steffen (knee) necessitated the late inclusion of 21-year-old Chris Brady. DeJuan Jones (lower body), Sean Zawadzki (knee) and Balogun (ankle) added to the departure list in defense and at striker.

Still, there are some mainstays of the 2022 World Cup and 2024 Copa América rosters to headline the survivors. Matt Turner projects to start in goal, making up for lost action as he played just four times (three FA Cup starts, one Carabao Cup start) on loan with Crystal Palace. Tim Ream, Chris Richards and Walker Zimmerman provide tournament experience at center back. Brenden Aaronson, Johnny Cardoso, Luca de la Torre and Malik Tillman had squad roles in those recent tournaments, while Haji Wright is the sole goalscorer from either preceding major tournament to be on this Gold Cup squad.

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With all of their games on home soil, the USMNT will face Trinidad & Tobago, Saudi Arabia — an invited guest of Concacaf who made significant financial investment in the North and Central American confederation before its participation was confirmed — and Haiti in Group D. The top two teams from each of the four groups advance to a three-round knockout bracket.

The Gold Cup title has alternated between Mexico and the U.S. for every installment since 2011, when Mexico beat the U.S. in a second straight Gold Cup final, with the USMNT going on to win in 2013, 2017 and 2021. Given how the groups are configured, their rivalry could resume as soon as the quarterfinal stage if one team wins their group and the other finishes second. If both teams have an identical finish in the group, whether it’s first or second, the bracket wouldn’t put them together until a potential final.

As for some of the other intriguing elements on the final squad (full roster listed below):

Alex Freeman: the next man up

Right back has remained a rotational role since Dest suffered his knee injury. Joe Scally started in his place at the Copa América, but a series of poor performances with the national team leave him off of this squad entirely. Nathan Harriel was the United States’ starter at the 2024 Olympics, but 20-year-old Alex Freeman projects to be better suited to make Pochettino’s lineup.

A homegrown product of Orlando City SC, Freeman has vaulted up prospect lists with a breakout first half to the 2025 season. The son of former Green Bay Packer wide receiver Antonio Freeman, he stands 6-foot-2 and has impressive and agile mobility for his stature. Among 57 MLS fullbacks and wingbacks who already have 500 minutes this season, Freeman ranks second with 27 chances created, averaging 2.88 chances per 100 touches of the ball. Despite his athleticism and skillset, Freeman has already displayed impressive positional awareness and seldom ventured too far from his post in Orlando’s team shape.

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Freeman is already attracting European interest despite only becoming a regular first-division starter three months ago. He could be on a fast track to become Dest’s understudy in time for the World Cup — and, depending on how Dest looks in his first full season back from injury, provide a worthy alternative at the position.

Berhalter in for USMNT

Seven players on this Gold Cup squad could stand to make their USMNT debut by the end of the group stage. Perhaps most notable is Sebastian Berhalter, with the defensive midfielder having seen his stock soar along with the entire Vancouver Whitecaps squad under first-year head coach Jesper Sørensen.

The son of Pochettino’s predecessor in the role, Gregg Berhalter, the 24-year-old can play defensive midfield but sees himself as best fitting in a more advanced box-to-box role. He’s got a knack for arriving late in the box to complete team attacking sequences that often involve him in their buildup, refining his first-touch shooting from just beyond 18 yards to give Vancouver another scoring threat beyond Brian White (who is among the strikers on this roster).

While he wasn’t far enough in his development to garner consideration under his father, the work he’s done with the Whitecaps makes him a deserving inclusion on Pochettino’s squad.

“It’s been my dream since I’ve been a kid, but I think it’s something that I’m just taking one game at a time,” Berhalter told The Athletic in late April. “Being around the national team so much — I think I’ve watched every recent game more than probably anyone else has. I just worry about winning games here and performing well.”

Here is the USMNT Gold Cup squad in full:

GOALKEEPERS: Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Matt Freese (New York City FC), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace)

DEFENDERS: Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew), Alex Freeman (Orlando City), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)

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MIDFIELDERS: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union); Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven)

FORWARDS: Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht), Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC), Damion Downs (FC Köln), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps), Haji Wright (Coventry City)

(Top photo: Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)

Liverpool and Chelsea Face €30m Rayan Cherki Decision

Olympique Lyon’s ongoing financial turmoil has thrust their brightest talents into the spotlight, with Rayan Cherki emerging as a prime candidate for a high-profile move. As reported by Footmercato, the Ligue 1 club is asking for at least €30 million for their 21-year-old homegrown star, with Liverpool and Chelsea among the interested parties. With Lyon’s precarious financial state, this price tag raises questions about whether any club will meet their valuation.

Lyon’s Financial Crisis Sparks Player Exodus

Lyon’s well-documented financial struggles—over €500 million in debt—have left them vulnerable to enforced sales. As Footmercato notes, “Les Gones will listen to offers for all of their stars next year,” with relegation and transfer bans looming unless funds are raised urgently. While Lyon’s financial plight puts them in a weak bargaining position, their decision to increase Cherki’s price tag from €15 million last summer to at least €30 million reflects renewed confidence in his potential.

Photo: IMAGO

This firesale, however, might be their last opportunity to extract meaningful value from Cherki. Despite signing a one-year extension to avoid a free transfer exit in 2025, the midfielder’s deal still puts Lyon at a disadvantage, with suitors aware they can negotiate from a position of strength.

Rayan Cherki: Potential vs. Reality

Cherki’s career trajectory has been one of promise and frustration. Long considered Lyon’s most talented academy graduate in recent years, his career has yet to consistently match expectations. As Footmercato explains, “The 21-year-old has had the weight of the world on his shoulders…expectations of Cherki have been sky-high, which ultimately led to disappointment.”

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This season, however, marks a turning point. His improved form has not only rekindled Lyon’s belief in his value but also reignited interest from elite clubs. Both Liverpool and Chelsea have scouted the French playmaker, while Bayer Leverkusen and PSG remain keen. Yet, with an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of just €9.3m—down significantly from his peak of €20m—there’s hesitation about whether Cherki’s resurgence justifies a €30m outlay.

Is Cherki Worth €30m?

Liverpool and Chelsea’s interest in Cherki reflects their respective ambitions. Liverpool, under Arne Slot’s dynamic leadership, seek creative midfield reinforcements as they continue reshaping their squad post-Jürgen Klopp. Cherki, with his flair and versatility, could thrive in Slot’s high-tempo system. For Chelsea, still navigating an overhaul under Mauricio Pochettino, Cherki’s age and potential align with their long-term project.

Photo: IMAGO

Yet, questions linger over his consistency and readiness to deliver at the Premier League level. At 21, he remains a raw talent, and his lack of experience in top-tier European competitions may give clubs pause. Additionally, Lyon’s dire need to sell could drive bidders to negotiate significantly below their asking price, particularly given Cherki’s expiring contract.

Competition for Cherki Heats Up

While PSG’s summer interest suggests the Ligue 1 champions still see him as a valuable addition, Footmercato mentions Bayer Leverkusen as a new contender. For clubs outside the Premier League, Cherki’s €30m valuation could be more palatable. However, Lyon’s hopes of sparking a bidding war depend on Cherki’s continued performances this season.

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Cherki’s next destination will likely hinge on whether clubs view him as a future star worth nurturing or a gamble with limited upside. Either way, Lyon’s financial instability ensures they won’t have the luxury of holding out indefinitely.

Our View – EPL Index Analysis

For Liverpool fans, the idea of signing Rayan Cherki divides opinion. On one hand, Cherki represents an exciting prospect—someone who could potentially flourish under Arne Slot’s progressive tactics. His dribbling ability, vision, and knack for creating chances align well with Liverpool’s ethos of attacking football.

However, many supporters might question whether Cherki offers the immediate impact the club needs. With Liverpool battling for honours in both domestic and European competitions, there’s little room for players who require time to adapt. Cherki’s inconsistency and limited exposure to high-pressure matches could be a red flag for fans eager for proven quality.

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Moreover, Lyon’s precarious situation could enable Liverpool to secure Cherki for significantly less than the reported €30m, particularly if the Reds are patient. It’s worth noting that Liverpool’s past success with signings like Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez suggests they are capable of nurturing raw talent into elite performers.

For now, the ball is firmly in Liverpool’s court. Whether they view Cherki as a crucial piece of their puzzle or merely a speculative opportunity will define their approach to the January or summer window.