For decades, the FIFA World Cup has been celebrated as football’s greatest unifier, a tournament where borders blur, cultures come together and millions of supporters travel across continents to cheer for their nations.
Yet ahead of the 2026 edition, even some of the tournament’s participants have found themselves facing unexpected barriers. Players, team officials and referees from several countries have reported visa complications, extensive security screenings and travel-related difficulties simply to enter the host nation.
If qualified teams and accredited officials are encountering such challenges, it raises an obvious question: how difficult might the experience be for ordinary supporters hoping to make the same journey to support their countries?
From visa restrictions and travel bans to concerns over fan accessibility and the treatment of players and officials at US entry points, the first 48-team World Cup has become as much a story about geopolitics and immigration as it is about football.
Fans facing barriers before they even arrive
The challenges have not been limited to teams. Supporters from several participating nations have encountered significant obstacles in securing permission to travel.
According to reports, citizens from dozens of countries remain subject to either full or partial travel restrictions under current US immigration policies.
Among the 48 participating nations, Haiti and Iran have reportedly faced full entry bans, while countries including Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire have encountered partial restrictions.
Even supporters from countries not subject to travel bans have faced uncertainty.
BBC Scotland reported cases involving Scottish supporters who had already received travel authorisation through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) process, only to see their approvals revoked days before departure.
The Speirs brothers from Kirkcaldy applied for their ESTAs in December and were initially approved. Months later, shortly before travelling to support Scotland at their first World Cup since 1998, their status reportedly changed to “travel not authorised.”
For many supporters, the financial burden has compounded the bureaucratic hurdles. While ESTA approvals cost around $40, supporters requiring standard visitor visas face fees of approximately $185 before even considering flights, accommodation or match tickets.
The result is growing concern that attending the tournament has become increasingly difficult for ordinary fans.
A Tournament Built on Inclusion
When FIFA awarded hosting rights to the United States, Canada and Mexico, the decision was presented as a celebration of football’s global reach.
The expanded 48-team format was designed to make the World Cup more inclusive by allowing more nations to participate. Countries such as Haiti, Uzbekistan and Curacao qualified for the tournament for the first time, creating opportunities for new footballing communities to experience the sport’s biggest stage.
Yet critics argue that while qualification has become more accessible, physically attending the tournament has become increasingly difficult for many of the very people FIFA claims to be including.
Visa Issues Create Unprecedented Challenges
One of the biggest controversies surrounding the tournament has been access to the United States.
Iran has faced some of the most significant logistical difficulties. State media reported that at least 15 Iranian officials and team staff members, described as being “integral” to the national team’s campaign, were denied visas.
While US authorities maintained that all “necessary” support staff had been granted entry, the Iranian Football Federation alleged that authorities had also revoked portions of Iran’s ticket allocation for group-stage matches.
“We are upset about this behaviour,” Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei said. “It has certainly never happened before.”
The complications forced Iran to establish its training base in Tijuana, Mexico, rather than inside the United States. Reports suggested the team could face repeated cross-border travel for group-stage matches, creating logistical challenges rarely seen at a World Cup.
For many observers, the situation represented a significant departure from FIFA’s long-standing principle that qualified teams should be able to participate without political or administrative obstacles.
Security screenings spark global debate
The treatment of some teams upon arrival in the United States has also generated criticism. According to multiple reports, members of the Senegal national team underwent detailed bag inspections directly on the airport tarmac after landing in San Antonio.
Uzbekistan’s squad reportedly encountered drug-sniffing dogs and extensive security checks upon arriving at their training base in New York. Images and videos quickly spread across social media, prompting strong reactions from supporters.
Critics accused authorities of treating players “like criminals” rather than welcoming them as participants in one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events.
One social media user questioned whether the treatment was selective, writing: “Did any white teams get treated like this, or is this treatment reserved for Senegal? Bizarre.”
The controversy deepened after reports emerged that Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein was detained for seven hours at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, while Iraq’s team photographer was reportedly denied entry following an extensive screening process.
In a separate incident, award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry into the United States altogether.
These episodes have intensified concerns that some nations are facing significantly different experiences from others despite all being participants in the same tournament.
The cost of inclusion
While immigration issues have dominated headlines, financial accessibility has become another major point of contention. Ticket prices for many matches reached levels rarely associated with previous World Cups.
Premium tickets for the final were initially priced around $11,000, while FIFA’s dynamic pricing system meant supporters often paid vastly different amounts for identical seats.
As the tournament approached, reports indicated that some remaining final tickets were still being listed for thousands of dollars, with certain premium seats reaching extraordinary prices.
Critics argue that rising ticket costs, expensive travel requirements and hospitality-focused packages have transformed the World Cup from a global football festival into an event increasingly accessible only to wealthier supporters. For many fans, the barriers are no longer merely geographical, they are financial as well.
Can Football Still Unite?
The World Cup has historically provided moments that transcend politics. Fans from rival nations have shared celebrations in fan parks, communities have united behind underdog stories and players from vastly different backgrounds have inspired audiences across the globe.
Those moments still exist at the 2026 tournament. However, the surrounding controversies have created an uncomfortable contrast with FIFA’s messaging around inclusion and unity.
When some supporters struggle to obtain visas, when participating nations face travel complications, and when fans question whether the event remains financially accessible, the idea of the World Cup as football’s universal gathering place inevitably comes under scrutiny.
The bigger question facing FIFA
The central question is not whether football remains capable of uniting people. It clearly does.
The question is whether the structures surrounding the modern World Cup are making that unity harder to achieve. The expansion to 48 teams was intended to make the tournament more global than ever before. Yet for many supporters, journalists and even some participants, access has become more complicated, expensive and uncertain.
As the tournament unfolds across the United States, Canada and Mexico, the football itself may still deliver the drama and joy that have defined World Cups for generations.
But away from the pitch, FIFA faces an uncomfortable challenge: proving that the world’s biggest sporting event remains a force for bringing people together rather than another example of the divisions shaping the modern world.
 "Ben Stokes")
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