UEFA chief: Trump travel ban could damage U.S. World Cup bid
Aleksander Ceferin, the president of UEFA and vice president of FIFA, has warned the United States that a fully imposed travel ban by President Donald Trump could critically harm the country's bid to host the 2026 World Cup.
The controversial Republican imposed a restriction on Muslims from several countries traveling to the U.S., and Ceferin said last week that a ban which would prevent players, fans, and journalists from attending a World Cup would be particularly harmful for a prospective host's proposal.
Trump's 90-day ban was overturned by a federal court, but the politician intends to make a second push for his initiative.
"It will be part of the evaluation, and I am sure it will not help the United States to get the World Cup," Ceferin told The New York Times' Rory Smith. "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 is now a key figure in the organization of World Cups, and he will be mindful of there being three countries currently caught up in Trump's travel ban reaching the latter stages of qualification of the 2018 edition. Iran, which has appeared at three tournaments, Iraq, and Syria are all still in with a chance of traveling to Russia.
By 2026, the World Cup will welcome 48 countries rather than 32, increasing the likelihood of one of those countries progressing to the finals.
Despite concerns over people being able to enter the country, the U.S. received backing from CEO of Bayern Munich and chairman of the European Club Association Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently. However, there is a chance that it is hosted across more than one country to help accommodate the extra teams, with CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani favoring a joint bid from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.