According to President Donald Trump’s travel ban list, there is a possibility that a particular nation will be prevented from participating in the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States.
Following his victory over Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president in November’s election, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States in January.
He previously held the position of President of the United States from 2017 until 2021, and this is his second term in office, which will last for a total of four years.
One of the significant and far-reaching changes that President Trump has already implemented in the United States is the signing of an executive order that prohibits transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. This is just one example of why Trump has already brought about these changes.
In January, the 78-year-old President suspended the entry of all undocumented immigrants into the United States of America, which was one of his first acts as President. His primary focus has been on immigration for the past few years.
The United States government under Trump has reportedly proposed a list of 43 countries that would be prohibited from entering the United States.
A’memo circulating inside the [Trump] administration’ is said to have listed the 43 countries, the majority of which are located in Africa, according to the outlet.
It has been asserted that they are classified into three distinct categories: complete visa bans, partial or strict visa suspensions, and recommendations of certain countries for travel bans in the event that they do not address concerns within sixty days.
In terms of football, the vast majority of the countries on the full visa bans list are either eliminated from World Cup qualifying or have no realistic hope of making it to the tournament in almost 18 months’ time.
Consider the fact that countries such as Afghanistan and North Korea have already been eliminated from the qualifying process for the Asian World Cup.
Iran, on the other hand, is mentioned on the list, despite the fact that they have already qualified for the World Cup.
Under Carlos Queiroz’s leadership, they were able to advance to the 2022 edition. During the group stage, they were defeated by England by a score of 5-1, but they triumphed over Wales by a score of 2-0.
As a result of their 1-0 defeat at the hands of the United States, they would ultimately fail to qualify for the round of sixteen, which is ironic given the circumstances of this particular match.
After their match against Uzbekistan, which ended in a 2-2 draw, they became the sixth team to qualify for the World Cup of Football on Tuesday.
According to the New York Times, a draft list of recommendations that was “developed by diplomatic and security officials” suggests a “red list” of eleven countries, including Iran, whose citizens would be “flatly barred” from entering the United States.
However, it is added that the list is likely to be altered before it reaches the White House and is then approved, as stated by a source who did not wish to be identified.
A significant number of Iran’s players, such as Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi, have spent a considerable amount of time playing football in other countries. The majority of Iran’s team plays domestic football in their home country.
Additionally, Saman Ghoddos, a midfielder who was formerly with Brentford, was born in Sweden and has spent the majority of his life in that country. However, he is a member of the Iranian national team through both of his parents.
The travel ban list may also have an impact on countries that are on the ‘partial ban’ list, which includes Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These countries are considered to be potential qualifying countries.
While this is going on, Venezuela is the only South American nation that is subject to the complete visa ban.
Which other countries are included on the list of countries that Trump intends to ban from travelling?
As reported by the Daily Mail, the following is a comprehensive list of the 43 countries that have been suggested by the Trump administration as candidates for a travel ban to the United States (countries that are bolded have previously participated in a men’s World Cup):
Complete prohibitions on visas
Bangladesh Afghanistan Bhutan Cuba
Iran (Ira
Liberia
The North Korean government
In Somalia
Sudan Syria Venezuela, and Yemen
The Yemeni
Intermittent suspensions of visas
Belarusian
Eritrea is currently unranked by FIFA and has not competed in a game of any kind since January 2020.
Haitian
“Laos”
In Myanmar
In Pakistan
Russia, which is currently under suspension by FIFA
The country of Sierra Leone
South Sudan (South Sudan)
The Turkmenistan Republic
It is recommended that certain countries be partially suspended (countries have sixty days to address any concerns).
This is Angola.
Each of Antigua and Barbuda
“Benin”
Burkina Faso (FA)
The Cabo Verde
Cambodia(n)
The Cameroonian Chad
Congo, a country that is a Democratic Republic
Equatorial Guinea as well as Dominica
A Gambia
Liberia (country)
Malawian
It’s Mali.
The country of Mauritania
Africa’s Republic of the Congo
Theresa and Nevis, Saint Kitts
The island of Saint Lucia
Porto de Sao Tome and Principe
This is Vanuatu.
Affirmative
Next, what could FIFA possibly do?
It is important to note that the United States of America will not be the only country to host the World Cup in 2026; Mexico and Canada are also scheduled to host several matches during that tournament.
It is therefore possible to find a resolution that would enable countries that are impacted by travel, such as Iran, to play their group stage matches and beyond in the countries that are hosting the tournament; however, there is no indication that such a decision would be on the cards.
A decision that was made during the most recent Champions Trophy cricket tournament, which took place in 2025, could provide an indication as to what FIFA might do in the future, despite the fact that the circumstances were very different.
Due to the political tensions that exist between India and Pakistan, India has decided not to play their Champions Trophy cricket matches in Pakistan, which is the host nation for the tournament in 2025.
After that, the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave them permission to play their matches in Dubai rather than in their original location. As a result of India’s victory over New Zealand in the championship match, they were able to achieve their first-ever victory in the Champions Trophy competition.
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