List of countries whose fans are prohibited from entering the United States for the 2026 World Cup

The United States of America continued to implement strict immigration and visa policies with the start of the 2026 World Cup, to include a number of fans of countries whose national teams are playing in the World Cup. It also extended to include referees such as Somali referee Omar Arten, who was denied entry despite having a regular visa.

“Your ticket is not a visa,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned earlier this year.

Below is the official list of people and categories that have been banned from entering American territory:

-Somali referee Omar Abdelkader Artan: He was officially denied entry by the US Customs and Border Protection Administration, and deprived of officiating the matches scheduled for him in the World Cup, despite attempts by the Somali Federation and FIFA to intervene.

-Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) fans: About 500 visa applications for fans residing inside the country were rejected. The head of the Ivorian Fans Committee (CNSE), Julien Kouadio Adonis, announced the official cancellation of fan trips after informing them of the refusal to receive them.

-Senegal fans: They are included in the same decision applied to Ivory Coast. The issuance of tourist visas to Senegalese citizens wishing to support the Teranga Lions has been suspended.

-Haiti fans: They are among the list of countries whose citizens face a complete ban that prevents them from traveling to American stadiums.

Iranian fans: They face a comprehensive and complete ban on entering the United States of America as tourists or fans, and the American authorities have also rejected the requests of members of the technical and administrative staff of the Iranian national team.