Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleA number of people have endured US visa and entry issues and the list is growing two days out from the 2026 World Cup (AFP via Getty Images)President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his administration is working to make sure “the right people” come into the United States for the World Cup.He was speaking at an Oval Office bill signing when he was asked about soccer fans fearing it will be hard to get visas to attend World Cup events. Trump responded by saying the U.S. is working on the manner “very closely to make sure the right people come in.”The fears come after the Trump administration denied Somali soccer referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan entry for the World Cup because of his supposed links to "suspected members of terror organizations." Trump’s strict immigration policies have been a point of concern, with Washington imposing a sweeping travel ban last year on citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia.Additionally, Iran's football federation said that their fan ticket allocation for the World Cup had been revoked, a decision they claim will "sabotage the presence of Iranian fans" and is contrary to the spirit of international competitions. The Iranian playing squad, based in Mexico, will reportedly be allowed into the US only on match days and must depart immediately after games, preventing them from fulfilling standard pre-match duties, while 15 Iranian officials were also denied visas.In fullIran fans and an African referee: All the people unable to enter Trump’s United States for World CupThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Trump says US is working to let ‘right people’ in for World Cup
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleA number of people have endured US visa and entry issues and the list is growing two days out from the 2026 World Cup (AFP via Getty Images)President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his administration is working to make sure “the right people” come into the United States for the World Cup.He was speaking at an Oval Office bill signing when he was asked about soccer fans fearing it will be hard to get visas to attend World Cup events. Trump responded by saying the U.S. is working on the manner “very closely to make sure the right people come in.”The fears come after the Trump administration denied Somali soccer referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan entry for the World Cup because of his supposed links to "suspected members of terror organizations." Trump’s strict immigration policies have been a point of concern, with Washington imposing a sweeping travel ban last year on citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia.Additionally, Iran's football federation said that their fan ticket allocation for the World Cup had been revoked, a decision they claim will "sabotage the presence of Iranian fans" and is contrary to the spirit of international competitions. The Iranian playing squad, based in Mexico, will reportedly be allowed into the US only on match days and must depart immediately after games, preventing them from fulfilling standard pre-match duties, while 15 Iranian officials were also denied visas.In fullIran fans and an African referee: All the people unable to enter Trump’s United States for World CupThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
