The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup opens amid major immigration disruptions in the United States. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed on May 12 that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will operate inside tournament venues, telling CBS News that "ICE always says immigration enforcement. We're always going to do that."

What did the immigration secretary actually say?

Mullin said ICE would mainly play a security role but did not rule out arrests. His statement directly contradicts Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who on May 7 told Miami's 2026 World Cup host committee that ICE would not be present at stadiums.

Which groups warned fans?

On June 9, over 120 civil society organizations issued a joint travel advisory ahead of the tournament. The ACLU-coordinated statement warned that fans, players, journalists and other visitors "could be at risk of serious rights violations."

How are workers responding?

UNITE HERE Local 11, the union representing So-Fi Stadium workers in Los Angeles, voted to strike on June 6 over detention fears. Stadium operators and the union reached a deal on June 9 that includes a clause allowing workers to walk off the job if ICE threatens their safety.

Border Czar Tom Homan escalated tensions on June 8, threatening to send "more ICE agents than you've ever seen" to New York City. New York will host eight matches including the final on July 19.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani responded on a livestream: "The World Cup is supposed to be a celebration of the world as a whole. And some of the decisions that we've seen been taken by the federal administration… is anathema to what this tournament is supposed to be about."

Who has been denied entry?

Visa and entry barriers hit players, referees, journalists, and fans within the tournament's first week:

• Referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, the Confederation of African Football's 2025 referee of the year representing Somalia, encountered a CBP entry denial despite holding a valid State Department visa. Somalia sits on the administration's travel ban list.
• Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein and Iraq's team photographer Talal Salah spent seven hours in CBP questioning at O'Hare on June 9. Hussein entered; Salah did not.
• The International Sports Press Association sent an open letter to FIFA on June 6 reporting that Iranian and African journalists received only single-entry visas, blocking them from following their teams across host countries. Reporters from the Ivory Coast and Senegal, both on the travel ban list, are affected.
• Scottish fans saw their travel authorizations suddenly revoked, the BBC reported.
• NPR reported that dozens of Moroccan fans who bought tournament tickets faced visa refusals.

Can Iranian fans attend?

Iran's football federation said on June 10 that FIFA revoked the thousands of tickets allocated for supporters. The Iranian team will play three group-stage matches on U.S. soil with no fans in the stands.

The players will enter and exit the United States only on match days, a restriction imposed by the Trump administration. President Donald Trump also publicly threatened the team on Truth Social, prompting the federation to relocate its training basecamp to Mexico.

What has FIFA said?

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in 2025: "We want to unite the world, and we will unite the world next year…So again, everyone will be welcome, be positive and you will see it will be a great, great celebration of the greatest FIFA World Cup ever."

FIFA has deferred on specific cases. On Artan's denial, the organization told the BBC: "FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications… In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country."

What does this mean for the U.S. as a host country?

The 2026 World Cup is the first hosted across three nations. Mexico and Canada have not announced comparable enforcement actions at their venues. The U.S. enforcement posture has already produced documented entry denials, worker walkout clauses, and empty supporter sections before the group stage ends.