World Cup 2026: Trump’s restrictions impact fans from Haiti, Senegal, and Iran

Haiti in the 2026 World Cup: A Triumph Tainted by Immigration Restrictions

Haiti’s men’s national soccer team qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking their return since 1974. This achievement, reached without being able to play in their stadium or train in their country, is even more remarkable.

“What makes this achievement even more remarkable. We are very proud of this,” said Regine Etienne, interim Consul General of Haiti in Boston. “Their trajectory demonstrates that there is still hope for Haiti, and that determination and talent can triumph despite adversity.”

Regine Etienne, interim Consul General of Haiti in Boston

Participation in the World Cup holds great significance for small or struggling countries. However, Haiti’s joy is overshadowed by the impossibility of its citizens traveling to the United States to support their team. This situation also affects fans from Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Iran, who face similar travel restrictions. The administration has extended the visa issuance suspensions to citizens of 39 countries, citing national security and public safety concerns. Among these countries are Haiti, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Iran, all qualified for the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The policy, known as Presidential Proclamation 10998, allows the entry of players, team staff, and immediate family members from the four mentioned countries. Although there are some exceptions, a State Department spokesperson noted that these would be “quite rare”.

“A visa is a privilege. Visas are not a right,” the spokesperson said in a statement sent by email. “Under President Trump, the State Department is administering visa operations in a way that prioritizes the safety of the American people and our national interests, strengthens evaluation and scrutiny, and enforces the law.”

State Department Spokesperson

The Haitian government is “actively exploring all options,” according to Etienne, who also indicated that “a visa is a sovereign prerogative and remains at the discretion of the relevant authorities.” A possible hope for the affected countries could be the mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, who had a cordial meeting with President Trump in November. Mamdani stated in January that he would appeal to Trump for a travel exception for the World Cup. Mamdani, known for his love of soccer, organized a party to watch the final of the African Cup of Nations between Morocco and Senegal last month, the first of several events celebrating New York’s immigrant communities.

Haiti, Senegal, and Iran will play their group stage matches in the United States. Ivory Coast will play its second group stage match in Toronto, where Canada has a strict investigation process but not a total ban. It is also possible that teams will advance to the knockout matches in Canada or Mexico. Sheck Wes, a Senegalese-American hip hop artist raised in New York City, commented that the ban not only prevents Senegalese tourists from sharing their passion with World Cup fans, but also deprives Americans of getting to know a vibrant community that wants to contribute to the event. When the Trump administration announced the bans, it stated that citizens of the mentioned countries “have been involved in crimes including murder, terrorism, embezzlement of public funds, human smuggling, human trafficking, and other criminal activities”. “Unreliable foreign civil documents and the lack of authorized criminal information” make it difficult for the United States to vet applicants, the administration said, adding that the government must “exercise extreme vigilance” in the visa issuance process. The policy has been criticized by Democrats and civil and human rights organizations, with Human Rights First describing it as “racist” and “an act of collective punishment”. Jonathan Grode, a prominent immigration lawyer in Philadelphia, said that inflexibility on immigration goes against the Trump administration’s own business instincts. Asked whether FIFA could lobby for an exemption from the ban, a spokesperson for the organization noted that FIFA has worked with the Trump administration to create an expedited visa interview process for anyone holding a World Cup ticket. However, who ultimately receives a visa is another matter: “The U.S. government… determines who gets a visa and who is admitted. FIFA is not involved in the host country’s immigration processes.” Critics believe that FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has approached Trump and awarded the US president the inaugural FIFA peace award, should pressure his friend for an exemption. “It’s very difficult to process,” said Lionel Lucien, a Haitian-American community leader in Boston, where Haiti will play its opening World Cup match. “There are people who would love to come and who qualify according to some of the requirements. The blanket ban on Haiti coming to the World Cup is completely against FIFA’s mission. It’s hurtful and disrespectful.” A retired U.S. diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the United States has legitimate concerns about the vetting of people from poor or unstable countries who apply for tourist visas. Haiti and Iran faced restrictions in previous administrations: “Tourist visas for them are basically rare, if not impossible, to obtain, and part of that is just logistics,” the former diplomat said. But, he said, a total ban is an extreme reaction. “There’s a way to handle it that’s sensible and measured and aimed at solving the problem, and then another to use this entirely for an ideological goal, and door ‘B’ is what they’ve chosen,” the diplomat said. Senegal may be “a poor country, and there is significant fraud,” the diplomat said, “but seeing upwardly mobile citizens go to see their teams is not a crazy thing to think about.” Iran has been in its own category since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. “We have never had a consular section up and running there since the ‘Argo’ era,” the diplomat said, referring to the film about the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. “And the investigation is quite justified when an Iranian is neither an exile nor a dissident, someone we already know.” “They are not only hostile (to the United States) but they do not share information that allows us to trust their identities and their passports. The difficulty in determining that a person who possesses an Iranian passport is really that person, how can you trust that?” Trump’s announcement of the suspensions also stated that foreign citizens from the named countries have “exploited the historic generosity of the United States” by not adhering to the terms of their visas. According to data from the Department of Homeland Security, Haitians who have received visas in recent years have exceeded the terms of their visas at a much higher rate than any other country in the world. But that is an argument for investigation, the diplomat said, not for a general ban. “For Haiti, this is not just about soccer, it’s about dignity and visibility,” said James “Reggie” Colimon, a Haitian-American who is the director of global affairs and protocol for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. “Sports are supposed to unite the world, but Haiti can’t participate? We are a country where everyone is welcome, supposedly, in theory, but what we are seeing is very different. “When one nation is singled out while others are welcomed, a credibility gap is created. No one will dispute that security matters, but there is an inconsistency in the way we are doing things. The World Cup already operates under maximum security.”