World Cup Viewed as National Security Event in U.S., Affecting Players, Fans and Referees

One of the biggest talking points in the United States ahead of this year's World Cup is how the government will handle the arrival of millions of visitors and whether international fans will face obstacles entering the country.

Revoked visas, geopolitical tensions involving participating nations and the Trump administration's immigration crackdown have raised concerns among some travelers planning to attend the tournament.

According to reports, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have implemented national security measures involving players, coaching staffs, fans and referees.

Some participants have already faced heightened scrutiny at U.S. airports. In Chicago, CBP officials questioned and detained Iraqi player Aymen Hussein upon arrival at O'Hare International Airport. After several hours, he was finally allowed entry into the United States.

Iraqi team photographer Talal Salah was denied entry and told to return back home, while Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was recently denied entry after arriving in Miami.

Andrew Guiliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, said Artan's denial was "for very good reasons" but did not provide any further explanation.

While federal agencies have emphasized security preparations for the tournament, those incidents have fueled concerns about how entry procedures will be handled during one of the largest sporting events in the world.

The Transportation Security Administration said in a June 10 statement that it will deploy advanced technology, specialized personnel and additional resources to manage the influx of travelers and support security operations during the tournament.

TSA Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill said the World Cup "will be one of the biggest travel events in history," adding that the agency's efforts are aimed at improving safety and efficiency for international visitors.

The agency said it will deploy National Deployment Officers at high-traffic airports, support teams for VIP movements in host cities and additional personnel to coordinate with local officials on emerging transportation threats.

It will also deploy specialized ground operations teams to assist with venue security and reiterated that drones are prohibited around airports, stadiums and World Cup event sites.

In recent months, the Department of Homeland Security has said immigration enforcement agents will be present outside stadiums conducting operations targeting counterfeiters and traffickers, though officials have not ruled out immigration-related enforcement activity.

"Well, ICE always does immigration enforcement. We're always going to do that. But we're not there solely for that purpose," DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said last month. "We're not there to go round up mass individuals, but we are always looking for the worst of the worst."

For Jules Boykoff, author of Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing and the FIFA Greed Machine, the tournament reflects a broader contradiction.

"On one hand, it has more teams than ever participating. On the other hand, because of the policies of the Trump administration, it looks more like a World Cup of exclusion than inclusion," Boykoff told NPR.

He added that immigration policy and heightened security measures could shape the experience of fans traveling to the United States, with some potentially concerned about interactions with authorities at airports and stadiums.