Extensive interrogations, people pushed back: Trump’s policy is causing chaos in the 2026 World Cup

The 2026 World Cup kicks off this Thursday, June 11. However, the usual excitement is also mixed with diplomatic tensions, the result of the authoritarian migration policy led by Donald Trump.

The conditions of access to the United States, tightened by the American president, caused several incidents in the days preceding the start of the competition. If the spectators were prepared to suffer difficulties in obtaining their visas, the participants also suffered complications.

Personnes refoulées, contréles de sécurité…

It was a refusal to enter the territory which ignited the powder. This Saturday, June 6, the Somali referee Omar Artan, named best African referee in 2025, was turned away by the American border police upon his arrival at Miami, Florida. However, he held an entry visa to the United States. The 34-year-old referee lamented the end of his “plus grand rêve” auprès du New York Times.

Despite the anger caused by this decision, the White House took responsibility. He was “in relation to persons suspected of belonging to terrorist organizations“, declared the US State Department.

Not stopping there, the Trump administration also refused visas to several members of the Iranian team management, including the president of the federation Mehdi Taj. The players and other members received their entry authorization into the country, after a period of uncertainty. A complicated situation also for their supporters: the Iranian Football Federation accused the United States of having withdrawn its quota of tickets.

And even for those who were able to land on American soil, access to the World Cup was not guaranteed. Other delegations had to face administrative problems. Notably the Iraqi delegation, whose official photographer was turned away despite having a valid visa. Above all, his attacker Aymen Hussein was held for almost seven hours last Saturday at Chicago airport, as reported by The Guardian.

He is not the only one to have experienced a tough start to the World Cup: this Monday, the Uzbekistan selection underwent a very strict check in New York, before their preparation match against the Netherlands.

Faced with the proliferation of similar incidents, the UN human rights chief reacted, calling on Washington to review “in depth” the application of its migration policy within the framework of the competition. Despite these requests for appeasement, the World Cup begins overshadowed by geopolitical tensions.