US Border Runs Through the World Cup: Immigration Policy Shadows the Tournament

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 11 in Mexico, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. However, the tournament has been overshadowed from the start by controversies surrounding US immigration policies.

The US maintains overly strict visa restrictions and 'travel bans' for citizens of many nations, making the event even more exclusive. The US-Mexico border is heavily militarized, and President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb and invade Mexico. Trump has referred to Mexicans as criminals and rapists, and according to The New York Times, suggested that US soldiers shoot migrants and install a moat with alligators along the border.

After reassuming office last year, Trump effectively closed the border to asylum seekers and economic refugees. A young man from Michoacan was forced to pay $10,000 to a smuggler to be hoisted over the border fence.

Mexico's decision to co-host such an expensive tournament rather than allocate resources to find its more than 134,000 disappeared persons has drawn criticism. Most disappearances occurred after the US-backed 'war on drugs' began in 2006. Mexican security forces, notorious for human rights abuses, are being deployed around venues.

FIFA's long history of corruption continues: its president Gianni Infantino in December presented Trump with a spontaneously invented 'FIFA Peace Prize' after Trump was denied the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump is a strong backer of Israel's genocide in Gaza; since October 2023, Israel has officially killed 73,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including 421 footballers.

The Iranian football federation announced that its ticket allocation for three matches in the US was revoked, and visas were denied to 15 federation staff. Somali top referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the US. Haitian citizens are categorically banned from entering the US, preventing fans from supporting their team.

The Iranian team has been forced to base itself in Tijuana, Mexico, and is only allowed into the US for matches, after which it must return to Mexico. This echoes Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' policy. The author, a US citizen, recounts a humiliating border crossing experience where officials treated a single orange as a nuclear threat.

While the 2022 World Cup in Qatar had beautiful moments, such as the Moroccan team's support for the Palestinian cause, this year's imperial arrogance and US-fueled crises in the Middle East leave little room for enthusiasm. As the author notes, the World Cup has always been political, but this year the US border runs straight through the tournament.