Soccer fans in Iran have been left devastated after President Donald Trump’s new travel ban which means they won’t be able to go to the U.S. to watch their country compete in next year’s FIFA World Cup.
Of the 12 countries included in Trump’s ban, Iran is the only one already confirmed to play in the 2026 tournament—co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico—with others still in contention to qualify.
With the ban set to take effect Monday, Iranians hoping to attend games in the U.S., where the majority of matches will be held, including the final, have seen their dreams shattered.
“My friends and I have been waiting for years to watch [Iran] play in a World Cup on U.S. soil, and when they qualified, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Sohrab Naderi, a real estate agent in Tehran, told AFP. “Now, with the new travel ban, that dream is shattered because of politics that we don’t care about and have no control over.”
Hasti Teymourpour, a 16-year-old soccer fan, added, “Every Iranian has the right to support their team just as much as any other country, whether the game is in America or anywhere else.”
Trump’s newly announced travel ban blocks nationals from 12 countries—Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen—from entering the U.S.
Partial restrictions have also been placed on travelers from seven other countries, including Cuba and Venezuela.
The ban includes an exemption for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches and persons performing a necessary support role” to enter the U.S. for major sporting events like the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, along with their immediate family.
However, that exemption does not apply to traveling fans—meaning ordinary Iranian supporters will be barred from watching their team compete on American soil.
The exemption for athletes also extends to other “major sporting events” as designated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This is expected to include the 2025 Club World Cup, set to kick off in the U.S. later this month, which features several players from countries on Trump’s travel ban list.
During the 1998 World Cup in France, Iran and the U.S. played each other in what is considered one of the most politically charged games of soccer ever seen at the tournament following years of diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Iran won the game 2–1, with both teams ultimately failing to progress past the group states.
