Trump’s Travel Ban Would Hurt U.S.’s 2026 World Cup Hosting Bid, UEFA President Says

The United States’ opportunity to host the 2026 World Cup would be gravely damaged should President Donald Trump’s travel restrictions are fully enacted, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin says.

UEFA President Says Trump’s Travel Ban Could Hurt U.S.’s 2026 World Cup Hosting Bid

Ceferin, installed last year as Europe’s top soccer official, stated measures that could prevent players, fans or journalists from attending the tournament would count against any bid. The U.S. is a clear favorite to host the 2026 World Cup, either alone or as part of a joint North American bid with Mexico and Canada.

However, in an interview at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland last week, Ceferin stated immigration policy would be among the areas considered during the assessment of a U.S. bid, and he implied that it would “not help” the country’s case if Mr. Trump succeeded in placing stricter restrictions on travel to the United States from certain countries in the short term. Although the American President’s initial 90-day ban on immigration and travel from seven Muslim-majority nations was overturned by a federal court following its enactment in late January, he has vowed to issue a second executive order that would limit travel from those same nations, at least temporarily.

“It will be part of the evaluation, and I am sure it will not help the United States to get the World Cup,” Mr. Ceferin said. “If players cannot come because of political decisions, or populist decisions, then the World Cup cannot be played there. It is true for the United States, but also for all the other countries that would like to organize a World Cup.

“It is the same for the fans, and the journalists, of course. It is the World Cup. They should be able to attend the event, whatever their nationality is. But let’s hope that it does not happen.”

 Ceferin’s warning carries significance: in addition to his UEFA post, the 49-year-old Slovenian is also a vice president of FIFA, world soccer’s governing body and the organizer of the World Cup. Bids for the 2026 tournament must be submitted by December 2018, before the beginning of a 13-month evaluation phase. FIFA will select the host at a congress in May 2020.

The Trump administration’s executive order drew concern from FIFA officials because three of the seven countries on the ban list have national teams that could be affected should the policy become more than temporary. One of them, Iran, has played in the World Cup three times since 1998, and two others — Iraq and Syria — have joined Iran in the later rounds of Asian qualifying for next year’s tournament in Russia.

The 2026 World Cup will be the first to have 48 teams competing after FIFA unanimously agreed last month to expand the tournament from its current 32-team format. On March 30, the governing body is expected to decide how many spots each confederation will be given. However, Mr. Ceferin insisted that Europe’s conditions are clear: UEFA will demand 16 places, an increase of three teams, and request a guarantee that only one European team will be placed in each three-team group.

Mr. Ceferin added that stricter immigration policies could also harm Britain’s hopes of hosting major finals once that nation exits the European Union. The semifinals and final of the 2020 European Championship are set for London.

“If ‘Brexit’ happens, everything changes,” Mr. Ceferin said. “But football was played before, and it will be played in the future. Now, with free movement in the European Union, it is much better.”

Mr. Ceferin, a former president of Slovenia’s soccer federation, insisted that UEFA’s commitment to staging the final matches of Euro 2020 in England remained “firm.” However, he added that the organization may have to discount Britain as a potential venue for showpiece games should ‘Brexit’ make it harder for players and fans to enter the country.

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – NOVEMBER 08: UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin speaks on stage during the UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 Final Tournament Draw held at the Luxor Theater on November 8, 2016 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)