The FIFA World Cup is drawing closer, and for the first time in history, the global showpiece will feature a record 48 teams. The expanded format aims to spread football fever across every corner of the world, with fans preparing to travel in huge numbers to North America to back their nations.
However, uncertainty has gripped supporters from several countries after the Trump administration introduced partial travel restrictions affecting two major African football nations — Senegal and the Ivory Coast. While fans recently followed their teams at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, many now fear they may not be able to enter the United States to watch World Cup matches if they haven’t secured visas in advance.
“𝑰𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑪𝒖𝒑,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑺𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑫𝒋𝒊𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒍 𝑮𝒖𝒆𝒚𝒆, 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.
Sanctions, Exemptions, and Rising Concerns: Trump
President Donald Trump defended the move by pointing to “failures in screening and verification processes” as the main reason behind the restrictions. Alongside Senegal and the Ivory Coast, Iran and Haiti — both qualified for the tournament — also fall under U.S. sanctions, raising similar concerns among their fan bases.
While players, team staff, and close family members are exempt, ordinary supporters remain unsure about their chances of attending.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒐, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘. 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒖 𝑫𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒖, 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝑺𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏’𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔’ 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑.
Senegal is set to open their campaign against France on June 16 in New Jersey, followed by a clash with Norway at the same venue. Their final group match will take place in Toronto, Canada. Ivory Coast, meanwhile, will play Ecuador and Curaçao in Philadelphia, with another fixture scheduled in Toronto against Germany.
Despite the uncertainty, Ivory Coast coach Emers Faye remains hopeful a solution will be found, Trump recalling similar visa hurdles faced by fans before the Afcon that were eventually resolved.
Beyond travel rules, high ticket prices have added another layer of difficulty. Many supporters fear the cost alone could keep thousands away from the stands, even if entry issues are resolved.
For nations under restrictions, the absence of passionate supporters could be a major blow, as the energy from the crowd often fuels players’ performances on the world’s biggest football stage.
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