Palestinian Soccer Chief and Iranian Fans: Everyone Who Can't Enter the US for the World Cup

Pencabutan tiket untuk pendukung Iran dalam Piala Dunia 2026, seperti yang diungkapkan oleh federasi sepak bola negara tersebut pada Selasa lalu, merupakan salah satu kelompok yang terdampak oleh pembatasan perbatasan yang ketat dan agresif yang diberlakukan oleh pemerintahan Donald Trump di Amerika Serikat. Masalah ini telah lama dianggap sepele oleh presiden FIFA, Gianni Infantino, namun konsekuensi dari Iran yang sedang berperang dengan salah satu tuan rumah turnamen mulai terlihat. Media negara Iran melaporkan bahwa 15 pejabat ditolak visa untuk masuk ke AS, sementara skuad yang berada di Meksiko dilaporkan harus masuk dan keluar dari AS pada hari yang sama dengan pertandingan mereka.

Selain itu, akhir pekan lalu, wasit Somalia, Omar Abdulkadir Artan – yang dianggap sebagai salah satu pejabat teratas Afrika – ditolak masuk di perbatasan Miami karena "masalah pemeriksaan", yang menimbulkan pertanyaan serius tentang proses Perlindungan Perbatasan AS (CBP) serta FIFA. Tight restrictions implemented by the Trump administration are already having an impact on the World Cup. However, they are not the only ones affected, from players and executives to officials and fans.

The latest on Friday was that the head of the Palestine Football Association was still waiting for permission to enter the US from Mexico City. Here is a list of everyone affected by strict US border requirements.

Head of Palestinian football On Friday, Palestinian football chief Jibril Rajoub revealed that he was still waiting for permission to enter the US and was currently in Mexico City. Meskipun telah terakreditasi, Rajoub - yang merupakan ketua Asosiasi Sepak Bola Palestina - termasuk di antara beberapa pejabat sepak bola internasional yang ditolak visa AS atau masih menunggu persetujuan mereka. Meskipun tim Palestina tidak lolos ke Piala Dunia, FIFA secara tradisional mengundang kepala asosiasi sepak bola global, merangkai acara empat tahunan ini sebagai perayaan persatuan internasional. Rajoub mengatakan: "Saya tidak percaya bahwa adalah adil untuk menggunakan atau menyalahgunakan dan menolak hak semua pesepakbola di seluruh dunia untuk hadir."

Infantino previously stated last year that "everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico and the United States for next year's FIFA World Cup. We are working on that." Namun pada hari Rabu, di tengah masalah visa ini, ia mengatakan: "Kita perlu menghormati bahwa kita bukan raja dunia yang dapat mengatur pemerintah dan kekuatan polisi."

Iran supporter Iran mengklaim bahwa alokasi tiket untuk pendukungnya telah dicabut - hanya satu minggu sebelum pertandingan pertama mereka melawan Selandia Baru di Los Angeles. Federasi sepak bola negara tersebut (FFIRI) menyatakan pada hari Selasa bahwa ini adalah keputusan yang akan "merusak kehadiran penggemar Iran", dengan banyak yang telah membuat rencana perjalanan kini tidak dapat hadir untuk menyaksikan pertandingan tim mereka, dua di antaranya berlangsung di Los Angeles, dan satu di Seattle. Menurut regulasi FIFA, setiap negara menerima delapan persen tiket untuk setiap pertandingan yang dialokasikan kepada federasi dan penggemar mereka. Iran said the move "contradicts the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries."

Inevitably, that's not the only issue related to Iran and the World Cup.

Omar Abdulkadir Artan The Somali referee, who has officiated at the Africa Cup of Nations, is one of 52 referees for this summer's tournament. Namun, akhir pekan lalu, setelah tiba di Bandara Internasional Miami dari Turki, ia ditolak masuk ke AS oleh CBP karena "masalah pemeriksaan" yang tidak ditentukan. Artan has revealed that he underwent an 11-hour immigration interview and, speaking to the New York Times, he confirmed that he held the "right documents" and "the right visa." "I'm very, very disappointed," he said. "I'm just a referee trying to live his dream – the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup."

FIFA, for its part, distanced itself from the decision. A statement said: "FIFA is not involved in the host country's immigration process, including visa assessments, and has been informed by the authorities that Mr. Artan's status will not be changed at this time." Somalia's Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire, lamented the decision, adding: "I remain hopeful that a solution can be found. Football is best when it brings people together and celebrates merit, inclusion and opportunity."

Team Iran Setelah mengubah markas mereka dari Arizona ke kota Meksiko, Tijuana, yang terletak tepat di seberang perbatasan dari San Diego, skuad Iran sudah menghadapi masalah visa. According to the country's ambassador in Mexico, the squad of players will only be allowed into the US on the day of their group matches before leaving immediately after the match ends. Los Angeles, the venue for their first two games, is only a 30-minute flight from Tijuana but Seattle, where they face Egypt in "the pride of the World Cup", is about three hours by plane. FIFA World Cup rules require each team to travel the day before each match, attend a press conference at the stadium, as well as have the opportunity to train at the stadium. Iran is unlikely to be able to fulfill these obligations. Additionally, 15 officials and staff were denied visas to enter the US. "We are very disappointed with this behavior," said Amir Ghalenoei, Iran's head coach. "This is clearly unprecedented."

The US State Department claimed that "the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup" had been issued, adding: "We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to smuggle terrorists into the United States under false pretenses."

Breel Embolo The star Swiss forward, who has scored 24 goals in 86 international appearances, joined his teammates late in the camp in the US after experiencing problems with his US entry visa. It is believed to be linked to a 2018 dispute in Basel, for which US authorities requested additional checks. The Swiss Football Federation stated that officials sought documents after Embolo was punished in 2023 for making several threats. He was given a suspended fine.

Iraqi Personnel Iraq, which is in the group alongside France, Senegal and Norway, has been affected by the closure of US consular services in the country – a result of the conflict in the Middle East. For those with the proper documentation, some find the US border process onerous. Team photographer Talal Salah was denied entry and detained for more than 10 hours after his phone was searched. As for the 30-year-old attacker, Aymen Hussein, he was allowed in but only after being questioned for almost seven hours in Chicago.

British LGBTQ+ fans It's not a matter of official US policy, but the UK's official LGTBQ+ support group – Three Lions Pride (3LP) – revealed in January that they would not be a visible presence in the US this summer. A statement explained that a "dangerous decline in human rights" in the US had deterred fans from attending. 3LP has around 350 members and regularly attends matches.

Haitian fan Apart from Iran, Haitian citizens face a full ban on entry to the US, while Ivory Coast and Senegal face partial restrictions. Additionally, countries like Uzbekistan and Ecuador experience US visa denial rates of around 40%, making it very difficult for fans of these countries to commit to attending games in the US.