Although the 2026 FIFA World Cup has not yet started, the tournament has already come to the agenda with serious controversies.
Medianews.az reports that the United States' strict security and visa policies have caused dissatisfaction among some players, officials, and fans from countries participating in the tournament.
According to information, members of the Senegal and Uzbekistan national teams were subjected to serious security checks upon entering the United States. In footage circulated on social networks, it can be seen that Senegalese players' luggage was opened, their shoes taken off, and they were subjected to additional inspection.
The Italian head coach of the Uzbekistan national team, world champion Fabio Cannavaro, claimed that the inspections were selective.
"We were not told that this was the rule, but in the end, the inspection was applied only to us," Cannavaro said.
Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan is also among those who faced problems. Assigned to the tournament by FIFA and selected as Africa's best male referee in 2025, Artan was not allowed to enter the United States. U.S. officials justified this with additional security checks.
Iraq national team's forward Aymen Hussein was reportedly held for about seven hours at Chicago airport. It is also reported that his mobile phone was temporarily confiscated. The team's official photographer was not allowed to enter the country at all.
One of the fan organizations operating in Morocco also faced serious problems in obtaining U.S. visas. It is reported that 40 of the 42 applications submitted by the organization were rejected without any explanation.
In the Iran national team, although players and the head coach were able to obtain visas, applications of 13 members of the technical and administrative staff were not accepted.
According to information, the tightened visa regulations implemented by the Donald Trump administration also affected representatives from countries such as Senegal, Ivory Coast, Haiti, and Iran participating in the World Cup.
FIFA has not yet issued an official position regarding the issue. //Musavat.com