Supporters of both Senegal and the Ivory Coast may be prohibited from entering the United States during the 2026 World Cup after President Donald Trump signed a proclamation for new travel bans on the two countries.
The two African nations were drawn into Group I and Group E, respectively, in the revamped 48-team competition earlier this month, but fans from those countries may be excluded from matches held on US soil.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration issued a partial travel ban on Senegalese and Ivorian nationals, suspending their entry into the country.
This follows the already imposed travel restrictions on people who hail from both Iran and Haiti – two countries that are also due to take part in the World Cup next summer.
The prohibition means neither immigrants nor non-immigrants from said countries can enter the US. This covers both the tourism, which would be needed to attend the tournament, and the business visitor categories.
The initial order, which came about in June, was at the time titled: ‘RESTRICTING THE ENTRY OF FOREIGN NATIONALS TO PROTECT THE UNITED STATES FROM FOREIGN TERRORISTS AND OTHER NATIONAL SECURITY AND PUBLIC SAFETY THREATS’.
While the ban is likely to affect travelling supporters, there are exemptions for the footballers, support staff, and family members. This means that Everton star Iliman Ndiaye and Manchester United’s Amad Diallo, who play for Senegal and the Ivory Coast, respectively, will be able to play.
The World Cup will be held in the US, Canada, and Mexico between the months of June and July.
Senegal have been drawn alongside 2018 winners France, as well as Erling Haaland’s Norway and the play-off winner between Bolivia, Iraq, or Suriname, in Group I.
Two of Senegal’s games are due to take place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at MetLife Stadium – the location of the final – where they will be facing off against France and Norway.
Meanwhile, there will be one game that fans can attend as the Lions take on the playoff-winning team in Toronto, Canada.
Ivory Coast are also scheduled to play two of their group games in the US. Their matches against Ecuador and first-time participants Curacao will take place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Much like Senegal, there is a solitary fixture that Ivorian’s will be permitted to attend, and that is their match against Germany at BMO Field in Toronto.
Fifteen additional countries were included in the proclamation signed by Trump, following the 12 banned countries announced in June.
The White House has said: ‘The Proclamation includes exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories like athletes and diplomats, and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests.’
The statement is in addition to the reasoning given in June that this has been done to ‘protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people’.
Haiti, one of the four nations with banning orders, has been embroiled in civil unrest and political crisis ever since Jovenel Moise, the previously elected president, was assassinated in 2021.
The UN have since said armed gangs now control most of the country’s capital Port-au-Prince, with travellers warned not to enter the country due to risk of kidnapping, crimes, terrorist activity and civil unrest.
This means that the national team have been playing their home matches in Curacao, 500 miles away, something that makes their achievement all the more impressive.
When explaining the ban on Haiti, Trump’s order claimed government statistics showed those coming from the country had a relatively high record of overstaying their visas.
It added: ‘Hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden Administration. This influx harms American communities by creating acute risks of increased overstay rates, establishment of criminal networks, and other national security threats.
‘As is widely known, Haiti lacks a central authority with sufficient availability and dissemination of law enforcement information necessary to ensure its nationals do not undermine the national security of the United States.’
