The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which kicked off on June 11 across the US, Canada, and Mexico, was supposed to be a celebration of the sport’s biggest-ever tournament. Instead, the expanded 48-team event has become a stage where immigration policy and crypto adoption are competing for headlines alongside dramatic group stage action.
On the crypto side, Kraken was named FIFA’s first Official Crypto Exchange Supporter on June 9, just two days before the opening match. On the political side, US immigration enforcement under the Trump administration has resulted in visa denials, travel warnings, and detentions affecting players, referees, officials, journalists, and fans from multiple countries.
Immigration crackdowns cast a shadow over the beautiful game
The tournament’s buildup has been marked by stringent immigration enforcement that has touched nearly every corner of the event’s operations. A Somali referee was denied entry to the US. The Iranian national team received last-minute visa approvals, creating uncertainty until the eleventh hour. Travel bans affecting countries like Somalia, Iraq, and Iran have raised concerns about whether fans from those nations can attend at all.
Reduced attendance from affected countries could impact revenue at venues, while labor availability at stadiums has also been flagged as a concern. For a tournament that expanded from 32 to 48 teams specifically to increase global participation, the irony is hard to miss.
