Donald Trumps latest proclamation means fans from the two FIFA World Cup countries may face restrictions upon entering the United States of America for next summer’s tournament
President Trump has signed a proclamation widening his administration’s ongoing travel restrictions to include the 2026 World Cup participants Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal. Football fans from the two African nations may now face strict checks arriving into the United States of America for next summer’s tournament.
The US travel ban list now totals 39 countries as a result, with a White House statement clarifying Cote D’Ivoire and Senegal are subject to “partial restrictions and entry limitations,” which is currently the least restrictive category.
This can be compared to two other World Cup participants on the travel ban list, Haiti and Iran, who are subject to the most stringent restrictions possible.
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The White House added that the decision to impose the bans has been taken due to visa overstay rates. For B1 or B2 visitor visas – which travelling fans would need to enter the US for the World Cup – the overstay rates are around 4% for Senegal and 8% for Cote d’Ivoire, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump‘s proclamation has also cited athletes from the two countries, as well as diplomats and “individuals whose entry serves US national interests”, as a group who will be exempt from travel restrictions.
The 2026 World Cup is to be co-hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico between June 11 and July 19, 2026.
Two of Cote d’Ivoire’s three Group E matches against Ecuador and Curacao are scheduled to take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the third against Germany booked in for Toronto, Canada.
Similarly, Senegal have two group stage fixtures against France and Norway which will be hosted in New Jersey, whilst their third against an undetermined play-off winner will be Toronto. They are also set to be one of the US Mens National Team’s final warm-up opponents in a friendly agreed to take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, next May.
Earlier in December, the Trump administration’s World Cup taskforce, chaired by Andrew Giuliani, unveiled a fast-track visa system for visitors attending the World Cup.
The scheduling system is designed to push match ticket-holders to the front of the line for visa interviews, though it remains unknown how that system will handle requests from the countries affected by the travel ban.
Huge scrutiny has also been placed on the tournament several months before its start date due to the exorbitant ticket prices FIFA are charging for games in their dynamic pricing model.
Following backlash football‘s governing body have released a new set of cut-price World Cup at a fixed cost of £45.
These will be allocated to the participating member associations – including the English FA – to then sell to members.
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