A match ticket doesn’t mean you can enter
Following Donald Trump’s decision to impose travel bans on 15 World Cup nations, FIFA has now issued a statement.
The US are joint hosts of the next FIFA World Cup, alongside Canada and Mexico, and the travel ban comes into place just a few months before the tournament’s start.
FIFA has now warned the fans and people interested that a match ticket doesn’t guarantee you entry to the country.
“A match ticket does not guarantee admission to a host country, and fans should visit each country’s government website today for entry requirements for Canada, Mexico and the United States”, FIFA’s press release states.
“Given the processing times involved, FIFA recommends submitting the visa application as early as possible.”
“FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket holders travelling to the United States are eligible for the recently announced FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS) when it becomes available in the coming weeks”, it said.
The American president made it clear that he is against certain countries visiting the US, taking the total tally to 75 this week.
Trump announced his administration’s decision to “indefinitely” pause applications for citizens of 75 countries, impacting an estimated two billion people around the globe, in a reported attempt to further curb the level of immigration into the United States.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem previously explained the reasoning for the bans in a strong-worded post on X (formerly Twitter).
“I just met with the President. I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies”, she wrote.
“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom — not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS. WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.”
Fans of countries like Iran and Haiti were already told that they won’t be able to attend, while the fans of Senegal, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Uruguay may just have had their plans thrown into doubt.
Eight countries on that list have had their immigrant visa processing suspended, while Senegal and the Ivory Coast are under partial travel bans.
The list also includes Iraq, Jamaica and Democratic Republic of the Congo, them being countries which could still qualify for the tournament through playoff fixtures.
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