FIFA must strip US of 2026 World Cup hosting rights over Trump’s hawkish policies: Analyst

By Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

FIFA has the “right and duty” to strip the United States of its 2026 World Cup hosting rights over travel bans affecting dozens of countries and domestic unrest, an expert says, amid mounting international calls to boycott matches on US soil.

In an interview with the Press TV website, Anthony Costello, Professor of Global Health and Sustainable Development at University College London, said the cumulative impact of US immigration policies, internal insecurity, and exclusionary practices risks undermining the very premise on which the World Cup was awarded.

“I’m naturally worried about the current situation that faces fans travelling to the US for the World Cup: their safety, whether they will be turned back at the airport, and the decision to refuse travel for several World Cup countries,” he said.

“FIFA should ask the US government to rescind these restrictions for the duration of the tournament. If the US refuses, then FIFA has the right and duty to move the games that involve those affected countries (or possibly all games) to Canada or Mexico.”

When FIFA awarded the United States, Canada, and Mexico the 2026 World Cup, it promoted the tournament as a celebration of global unity and openness. That promise now appears increasingly hollow as Washington expands travel bans and intensifies immigration crackdown, creating uncertainty not only for foreign visitors but also for American citizens.

In recent months, large-scale Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minneapolis have become emblematic of this instability. Sweeping crackdowns have resulted in thousands of arrests and sparked nationwide protests after two US citizens were brutally killed by anti immigration police.

The cold-blooded murders, captured in part on video, triggered mass demonstrations and global outrage about the conduct of US security agencies. Several governments have since updated travel advisories, warning their citizens of heightened risks linked to protests and heavy-handed law enforcement in the US. .

Against this backdrop, calls from prominent figures in the football world to “stay away from the US” are gaining traction, reflecting unease not only with restrictive border policies but with a broader climate of coercion and internal unrest, compounded by Washington’s military aggression against Venezuela and Iran and continued threats to seize Greenland.

“Countries that agree to host the World Cup should facilitate and welcome fans from all countries,” Costello told the Press TV website, stressing that current US policies directly contradict the sport’s global ethos.

Those policies include the expansion of a US travel ban now affecting nationals from dozens of countries. While US authorities claim exemptions will apply to players and official delegations, ordinary fans face possible visa denial or refusal of entry.

Importantly, several affected countries have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, including Iran and Haiti, while supporters from African qualifiers such as Senegal and the Ivory Coast could also face obstacles.

Critics argue that allowing teams to participate while excluding their supporters entrenches a two-tier system of access incompatible with international sport.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has echoed calls for fans to boycott US matches, citing not only restrictive travel regimes but also broader political concerns tied to the Trump administration’s actions at home and abroad.

“If we consider everything we’ve discussed, there’s only one piece of advice for fans: Stay away from the USA!” said Swiss attorney Mark Pieth, whose comments were endorsed by Blatter.

“You’ll see it better on TV anyway. And upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t please the officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home. If they’re lucky,” he added.

Costello noted that travel restrictions have “been introduced recently, i.e., after the US was awarded the hosting responsibility,” stating that this change in conditions fundamentally alters the moral and contractual basis of the hosting agreement.

Petitions calling for national boycotts have also gained significant traction in Europe, and some football officials, like in Germany, have openly questioned whether participation is compatible with their countries’ commitments to equality and freedom of movement.

Fans, lawmakers, and civil society groups increasingly argue that attendance risks legitimizing policies that criminalize migration and suppress dissent.

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