Trump may prevent 43 countries from participating in the World Cup!
Around the clock – up to 43 countries face the risk of exclusion from the 2026 World Cup, due to the proposal of former US President Donald Trump to impose restrictions on the entry of citizens of some countries to the United States, which is one of the three countries hosting the World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico.
FIFA has excluded 3 countries from the championship for various reasons:
Russia: Against the background of the military operation in Ukraine.
Pakistan: Because “it is not approved by a review of the Pakistani Football Association’s constitution.”
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Because of “an alleged third party intervention in its affairs.”
But if the proposed American ban is applied, the number of countries prohibited from entering American territory may increase significantly, which may cause great chaos in the international championship.
Iran is the most prominent of the exclusion
The Iranian team managed to officially qualify for the World Cup after its group in the Asian qualifiers, but the entry ban application may mean excluding it from the tournament.
Several South African and American teams also face the same danger, such as Cameroon, Venezuela, Sudan, Burkina Faso and the Green Ras, a team that still has the opportunity to qualify.
Classification of countries threatened with a ban
According to the New York Times, the countries covered in the ban were divided into three categories:
Countries are fully prohibited from entering the United States.
Countries face strict restrictions in obtaining entry visas.
Countries give 60 days to address related concerns.
The entirely prohibited countries from entering America:
Afghanistan, Bhuban, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela.
Countries that will face strict restrictions in granting visas:
Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Turkmenistan.
The recommended countries to review their status before imposing partial restrictions:
Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican, Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Zimbabwe, and others.
Negotiations between FIFA and the US government
It has not yet been confirmed whether the proposed ban will be officially applied or amended, but reports indicated that there are ongoing negotiations between the US government and FIFA to try to find solutions that allow some teams, such as Iran, to participate in the World Cup without restrictions on travel.