At the beginning of 2026, Donald Trump announced that he had introduced a series of travel restrictions on 75 countries across the world.
The bans mean that individuals from certain countries will not be able to enter the United States for the foreseeable future. The only exceptions are for lawful permanent residents from the selected countries, visa holders, diplomats and professional athletes.
The reason given for this latest Trump-enforced travel ban is to ‘protect the security of the United States', but there is no getting away from the fact that it could potentially have an impact on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being held in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Full list of countries on Trump's banned list
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belize
- Bhutan
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Myanmar
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Colombia
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Cuba
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Dominica
- Egypt
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- The Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Libya
- North Macedonia
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Republic of the Congo
- Russia
- Rwanda
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Yemen
🚨 𝗡𝗘𝗪: Haiti have qualified for the World Cup, but Haitian nationals are under a travel ban from the Trump administration.
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) November 19, 2025
Currently, many fans will not be allowed to travel to the U.S. for the tournament.
— @TheAthleticFC pic.twitter.com/l43sJADuVJ
Impact on the 2026 World Cup
From the list above, fans of 16 nations could face issues getting into the United States to cheer their teams on this summer.
The toughest restrictions have been placed on Iran and Haiti. Individuals from these countries are completely barred from travelling to the US, unless a case-by-case waiver is granted. As a result, it is highly unlikely that we will see fans from Haiti and Iran at the World Cup this summer.
Individuals from the Ivory Coast and Senegal have been hit by lighter bans, but the logistics involved mean that it is difficult to imagine that too many supporters from these countries will find themselves in the USA this summer.
A further 12 countries – Algeria, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Guatemala, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Uruguay and Uzbekistan – have been hit with a ban on immigrant visa processing, but travelling as a visitor should be okay.
The impact of the travel ban goes beyond the nation's affected, though. The optics aren't ideal for FIFA, especially as they had created a special peace prize for Trump just a few weeks prior to these bans being put in place.
FGG says: A desperate situation for many
The fact that four months out from the World Cup, we are in a position where millions of football fans are either banned from travelling to the USA or are being asked to jump through countless hoops to get in is a sorry state of affairs. This tournament has previously been all about uniting people from different walks of life, but it's difficult to imagine that being the overarching memory of the 2026 edition.