World Cup 2026 Opens as US Hosts Paraguay in Los Angeles

The 2026 FIFA World Cup opened with the usual pageantry of an expanded 48-team tournament, but the United States, its primary host, has quickly drawn attention for reasons far removed from the pitch. Visa denials, lengthy detentions and reports of suppressed international travel have underscored how the Trump administration's hardline immigration policies are colliding with the demands of staging the world's largest sporting event.

Hours before the first matches, Côte d'Ivoire supporters found themselves blocked from entering the country. A Somali referee was turned away at Miami airport over unspecified vetting concerns, while an Iraqi striker was held for hours at Chicago's O'Hare and a team photographer was denied entry altogether. These incidents follow a pattern of scrutiny applied disproportionately to travelers from countries in Africa and the Middle East. FIFA officials and human rights groups had warned for months that such measures would deter fans and participants, and early evidence suggests they were right. Hotel bookings across host cities sit well below projections, with nearly 80 percent of operators reporting shortfalls.

The administration has framed the tournament as a showcase of American strength ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary. Yet the optics tell a different story. High ticket prices have left large blocks of seats empty even in major venues, while global viewership projections remain strong. Organizers expect record revenue for FIFA, but the on-the-ground experience for many international visitors has been defined by delays, interrogations and outright rejections rather than hospitality.

Critics note that the contrast with previous host nations is stark. While past World Cups have faced their own controversies, few featured the host government's own border policies actively discouraging attendance from large swaths of the football world. The administration's "America First" approach, which prioritizes strict enforcement and public displays of toughness on immigration, appears to be achieving exactly the exclusionary effect opponents predicted. Somali referee Omar Artan summed up the prevailing suspicion when he told reporters that officials seemed to have "a problem with my country."

The tournament's scale amplifies these frictions. One hundred four matches will unfold across sixteen cities in three nations, generating an estimated five million visitors and billions in revenue. Yet the early days have been marked by empty fan zones in New York and New Jersey, canceled hotel blocks, and complaints from teams about the chilling effect of enforcement actions. The United States team begins its campaign against Paraguay on home soil, but the political backdrop has already overtaken much of the sporting narrative.

Human rights organizations had flagged the risk of precisely this outcome, arguing that the administration's broader crackdown on migration and its targeting of certain nationalities would turn a global celebration into an exercise in selective exclusion. Those warnings have materialized faster than many anticipated. Whether the remainder of the tournament can overcome this inauspicious start will depend on whether the administration adjusts its approach or doubles down on policies that treat international visitors as presumptive threats. For now, the world's game is being played under the cloud of an America that appears determined to keep much of the world at arm's length.