Donald Trump has expanded his administration’s current travel restrictions to include two 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Ivory Coast and Senegal. There are growing fears that supporters from these two African nations could now encounter rigorous screening procedures when entering the United States for next summer’s tournament.

The US travel prohibition roster has consequently reached 39 countries, with a White House declaration explaining that the Ivory Coast and Senegal face “partial restrictions and entry limitations,” representing the most lenient category available. This contrasts with two additional World Cup contenders already on the travel prohibition roster, Haiti and Iran, who endure the most severe restrictions available.

The White House further stated that the choice to implement these prohibitions stems from visa overstay statistics. Regarding B1 or B2 visitor visas, which travelling supporters would require to access the US for the World Cup, the overstay figures stand at approximately four per cent for Senegal and eight per cent for the Ivory Coast, as reported by the Department of Homeland Security.

Trump’s proclamation has additionally identified sportspeople from both nations, alongside diplomats and “individuals whose entry serves US national interests”, as categories exempt from travel limitations.

The 2026 World Cup will be jointly staged throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Two of the Ivory Coast’s three Group E matches against Ecuador and Curacao are set to take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the third against Germany scheduled for Toronto, Canada.

Senegal have two group stage fixtures against France and Norway, which will be hosted in New Jersey, while their third fixture against an as-yet-undetermined play-off winner will be in Toronto. They are also scheduled to be one of the US Mens National Team’s final warm-up opponents in a friendly agreed to take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, next May.

Earlier in December, the Trump administration’s World Cup taskforce, led by Andrew Giuliani, introduced a fast-track visa system for visitors attending the World Cup.

The scheduling system is designed to prioritise match ticket-holders for visa interviews, though it remains unclear how that system will handle requests from the countries affected by the travel ban.

Significant scrutiny has also been placed on the tournament several months before its start date due to the exorbitant ticket prices FIFA are charging for games in their dynamic pricing model.

Following backlash, football’s governing body have released a new set of cut-price World Cup at a fixed cost of £45.

These will be allocated to the participating member associations, including the English FA, to then sell to their members.