TThe 2026 World Cup will be the first of its kind to feature 48 teams, with the most games to be played in the United States. The United States is one of the countries with the largest number of immigrants and the largest number of nationalities within its territory. In President Donald Trump’s second term, the immigrant population was one of the hardest-hit groups in his first year in office, and Trump has threatened to expand their numbers during his administration without a ceasefire.
Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House’s sporting events task force, said Wednesday that the U.S. president would not rule out raids or arrests of immigrants during the FIFA World Cup. “President Trump has to make the case that he wants the security of his country and that he wants the World Cup to be held completely quietly for the sake of the American people and its visitors,” Giuliani told a news conference in Washington ahead of Friday’s World Cup draw in the US capital.
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The son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani also highlighted that visa wait times at the consulates of participating countries such as Argentina, Ecuador and Brazil have been cut to less than two months, and visas are being waived for European countries and Japan. It is noteworthy that two of the World Cup participants, Haiti and Iran, are included in the list of 19 countries whose citizens are banned from entering the United States by order of the Trump administration.
Giuliani noted that “a portion” of both teams’ delegations were exempted from entry into the United States. If Haitian and Iranian fans want to attend as spectators, Giuliani referred the matter to the State Department, which is responsible for issuing visas. “What we will not tolerate are troublemakers who threaten safety,” the former golfer stressed, adding that this sporting event will prove that safety and hospitality can go hand in hand.
What kind of FIFA activities are going to take place in the United States?
The group stage draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place in the American capital on Friday, December 5th, with the arrival of 42 teams that have already qualified, with the remaining six spots to be decided in late March in the European and Intercontinental Playoffs. The World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 next year and will also be hosted by Canada and Mexico, comes at a time marked by the Trump administration’s harsh immigration policies.
Asked about the possibility that visas would not be issued to people planning to visit the United States for the World Cup, Giuliani stressed that for U.S. government officials, any decision regarding visas is a national security decision. He recalled that President Trump and FIFA recently announced that anyone with a ticket to a match would be guaranteed an interview with immigration authorities to obtain a visa.
