With exactly two years until kickoff, hopes that the 2026 FIFA World Cup would showcase a welcoming United States are fading. On July 13, Amnesty International USA and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights joined advocacy groups in issuing a “World Cup travel advisory,” citing a string of visa denials, airport detentions and entry refusals affecting players, referees and fans from African and Middle-Eastern nations. Among the high-profile cases: Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was turned away at Miami International Airport despite a valid visa; Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein endured hours of secondary inspection at Chicago O’Hare; and an Iraqi team photographer’s visa was summarily cancelled. Supporters from Morocco, Iran, Haiti and Senegal report month-long waits for B-1/B-2 interview slots or outright refusals under INA §214(b). The advisory warns travelers of “heightened risk of detention, racial profiling and summary removal,” urging them to carry documentation proving match tickets and accommodation, and to avoid layovers that require re-checking baggage. It also calls on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to publish transparent entry guidance for accredited FIFA personnel and on the State Department to prioritize visa appointments in host-city consulates. Host-city organizing committees—from Kansas City to New York—are concerned about reputational damage and lost tourism revenue. A New York University Sport Management study estimates a 4-percent fall-off in international ticket holders could cost U.S. venues up to $140 million in direct spending. Corporations planning incentive trips or client entertainment around World Cup matches should monitor visa wait-times closely and consider routing itineraries through Mexico or Canada, which share hosting duties and currently have shorter processing queues.
