Overview
- Visa and entry restrictions are preventing or delaying officials, support staff and supporters from several qualified teams, with some nationals effectively barred from entering U.S. venues.
- Iran won appeals for four delegation members but still has 11 officials blocked and has moved its operational base to Mexico to manage the restrictions.
- High vetting and refusal rates appear systemic: analysis of U.S. State Department data reported by the BBC shows over 40% visa rejection for 11 qualified countries and roughly a 34% denial rate for B1/B2 tourist and business visas.
- Individual incidents include Somali referee Omar Artan being denied entry after arriving in Miami and Iraqi players and staff facing long detentions or refusals at U.S. airports, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection citing vetting concerns.
- FIFA says it cannot overturn sovereign visa decisions, leaving federations to pursue appeals or operational workarounds and raising diplomatic, logistical and reputational risks for the hosts and affected teams.