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Fans of 2 of Africa’s apical shot nations person had their FIFA World Cup 2026 plans upended due to the fact that of a question prohibition imposed by the Donald Trump-led US administration.
Senegal and the Ivory Coast were added successful December to the database of countries with partial restrictions connected introduction to the United States, which is co-hosting the June 11-July 19 tourney with Canada and Mexico.
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Fans cheering for the 2 West African teams astatine the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) successful Morocco were disappointed by the restrictions, which efficaciously barroom those who bash not already person visas from travelling to the US to ticker the World Cup.
“I don’t cognize wherefore the American president would privation teams from definite countries not to instrumentality part. If that’s the case, they shouldn’t hold to big the World Cup,” Senegal protagonist Djibril Gueye told The Associated Press successful Tangier, Morocco.
“It’s up to the United States to supply the conditions, the means, and the resources to let the qualified countries truthful everyone tin spell and enactment their team,” Gueye said.
President Donald Trump cited “screening and vetting deficiencies” arsenic the main crushed for the suspensions. Fans from Iran and Haiti, 2 different countries who person qualified for the World Cup, volition beryllium barred from entering the United States arsenic well; they were included successful the archetypal iteration of the question prohibition announced by the Trump administration.
The restrictions see an objection for players, squad officials and contiguous relatives travelling to the World Cup, but nary allowance has been made for supporters.
“We truly privation to participate, but we don’t cognize how,” said Fatou Diedhiou, the president of a radical of pistillate Senegal fans. “Now we conscionable hold due to the fact that the World Cup isn’t present yet, possibly they’ll alteration their minds. We don’t know. We hold and see.”
Sheikh Sy supported Senegal astatine the past World Cup successful Qatar and was determined to find a mode to get to the US.
“We’ve travelled everyplace with our squad due to the fact that we are the nationalist fans of Senegal,” helium said. “So, since Senegal has qualified for the World Cup, we perfectly person to go.”
Hoping for a solution
Senegal, which has reached the Africa Cup semifinals, plays its archetypal World Cup crippled successful MetLife Stadium successful New Jersey connected June 16 against France, 4 days earlier facing Norway successful the aforesaid stadium. Its last radical signifier lucifer is successful Toronto connected June 26 against a playoff victor betwixt Bolivia, Suriname and Iraq.
The Ivory Coast besides has 2 games successful the US, opening against Ecuador successful Philadelphia connected June 14 and finishing the radical determination connected June 25 against Curacao aft facing Germany successful Toronto.
Ivory Coast manager Emerse Fae was optimistic that a solution could beryllium recovered for supporters. He pointed retired that Ivorian fans faced a akin hurdle getting to Morocco for the Africa Cup erstwhile a visa request was introduced earlier the tournament.
“In the end, everything went precise smoothly, and they were capable to travel arsenic agelong arsenic they had tickets to spot the matches. I deliberation things volition beryllium sorted retired by the clip of the World Cup,” Fae told The AP astatine the squad edifice successful Marrakesh.
“It’s a celebration, shot is simply a celebration, and for me, it would beryllium a existent shame – particularly since the World Cup lone comes astir each 4 years – it would beryllium a existent shame not to fto our supporters travel and acquisition this celebration,” Fae said.
Ivory Coast fans enactment their squad astatine the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal lucifer betwixt Egypt and Ivory Coast astatine Adrar Stadium, Agadir, Morocco connected January 10, 2026 [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]Limited support
Senegal and the Ivory Coast look the imaginable of playing lone with constricted enactment from fans who are ineligible US residents, already person visas oregon person dual nationality with countries that are not affected by the question ban.
Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande said determination was small the players could do. It’s not their country, and their absorption is solely connected what happens connected the field.
“It’s OK for us, we tin play without supporters,” Diomande told The AP. “The astir important happening is to triumph each crippled and combat for each game.”
Team skipper Franck Kessie agreed, saying it was up to politicians to find a solution.
“There’s besides an events committee managed by the Ivorian Football Federation, truthful I deliberation unneurotic with the government, we’ll enactment things successful spot to marque it easier for our supporters,” Kessie said.
US President Donald Trump’s question bans against shot supporters from respective 2026 World Cup-qualified nations, specified arsenic Senegal and the Ivory Coast, is astatine likelihood with his broader enactment for the US-based tournament, which volition beryllium co-hosted with Canada and Mexico, opening June 11 [File: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]Steep costs
The question prohibition is not the lone hurdle faced by the Ivory Coast and Senegal fans hoping to spell to the World Cup.
One instrumentality wearing a lion disguise for Senegal said helium tin question to the US due to the fact that helium besides has French citizenship, but helium volition not, arsenic “a substance of governmental conviction” and due to the fact that of the precocious outgo of tickets.
“I person the content it’s each astir the concern world. They wholly ignored the grassroots aspect,” said the fan, who gave his sanction simply arsenic Pape.
Ivorian protagonist Tan Detopeu, speaking successful Casablanca, said she feared the squad volition person small enactment successful the US due to the fact that fewer Ivorian supporters tin spend the tickets.
“Even if determination was nary prohibition issue, I don’t deliberation that galore radical would person gone to the World Cup either due to the fact that it’s benignant of expensive,” Detopeu said.
English (US) ·