Overview
- A coalition of more than 120 human-rights organizations issued a travel warning Friday for people heading to 2026 World Cup matches in the United States.
- The alert says visitors could face arbitrary visa denials, arrest, detention or deportation, invasive checks of social media and devices, racial profiling, and curbs on protest.
- The groups pressed FIFA to obtain enforceable guarantees from U.S. authorities, while FIFA pointed to a human-rights advisory group that the NGOs say falls short.
- Reporting notes U.S. officials have offered only limited assurances on tourist visas with no promise of approval, and the coalition singled out ICE raids and tech searches as major concerns.
- With 78 of the tournament’s 104 matches in the U.S., the groups warn that fans from some qualified countries such as Iran, Haiti, Senegal and Ivory Coast could face extra hurdles under existing restrictions.