World Cup 2026 Is Here — But Millions of Immigrants in the U.S. Are Watching From Home
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The biggest soccer tournament in history is playing out across 11 American cities. For many immigrants and expats, it's a celebration they're afraid to join.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup was supposed to be a moment of triumph. For the first time ever, three nations — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — are co-hosting the tournament. A record 48 teams. 104 matches. More than 6.5 million fans expected to attend. The final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19 will be the most-watched sporting event in human history.
And yet, across the U.S., something strange is happening. In cities like Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, and Philadelphia — all World Cup host cities — many immigrants aren't going to the games. They're watching from living rooms, with curtains drawn, afraid that a trip to the stadium could end with a deportation order.
This is the paradox at the heart of World Cup 2026.
A Tournament of Exclusion
Jules Boykoff, a professor and author of Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing and the FIFA Greed Machine, put it plainly: "I view the 2026 World Cup as a massive paradox. 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."
The numbers tell the story. The Trump administration has issued travel bans affecting nationals from 39 countries. Of the 48 nations that qualified for the World Cup, four have fans directly affected: Haiti and Iran face full entry bans, while Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal face partial restrictions.
At least one referee from Somalia was denied entry at a U.S. airport. An Iraqi team staff member was turned away at the border. Dozens of Moroccan fans — ticket holders — were refused visas. For many, the dream of watching their national team play in America ended before it began.
The State Department clarified that travel ban exemptions apply to "only a small subset of travelers" — meaning fans, journalists, corporate sponsors, and extended family of players from banned countries could all be shut out.
ICE at the Stadium Gates
For immigrants already living in the United States, the concern is even more immediate.
In May, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed that ICE agents will be present at World Cup stadiums. When asked whether they would conduct immigration arrests, his answer was unambiguous: "ICE always says immigration enforcement. We're always going to do that."
This wasn't a hypothetical threat. It already happened.
Last July, an asylum seeker took his two children — ages 10 and 14 — to the Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium. Police detained him on a minor matter, then handed him over to ICE. He was deported. His children watched their father taken away in handcuffs at what was supposed to be a family day out.
Between January 2025 and March 2026, ICE arrested at least 167,000 people in and around the 11 U.S. cities hosting World Cup matches, according to government data analyzed by Human Rights Watch. Some of those operations targeted people based on their perceived national origin — not any criminal record. According to advocacy groups, 70% of people arrested, detained, and deported have no criminal history at all.
"I Think Twice Before Going"
The fear is reshaping how immigrant communities experience the tournament.
Emile, a Haitian truck driver in his 40s living in Massachusetts, said he wants to watch Haiti's historic first-ever World Cup match — at nearby Gillette Stadium, just miles from his home. "Singing my country's national anthem in a stadium in front of the whole world is a historic moment that no one would want to miss," he told AFP. "But at the same time, I think twice. I don't want to be arrested by ICE."
All three of Haiti's group-stage matches are in the United States.
Workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles — home to several U.S. group-stage games — voted to strike over the threat of ICE presence at the venue. A last-minute agreement with the stadium operator prevented it, but one clause remains: workers can walk off the job if they believe ICE poses a threat to their safety.
Monica Sarmiento of the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights described what's happening in communities across the country: "People are afraid. We have seen very aggressive tactics that have gone after not only undocumented communities but also people with protective status. Many of them have been here for decades, paying taxes for decades. This has created a fearful and hostile environment — not only for the World Cup, but every single day."
FIFA's Silence — and Sponsors' Discomfort
FIFA's official position is that the World Cup should be a "safe, inclusive, and respectful experience for all fans, workers, players, and communities." In December 2025, the organization awarded Donald Trump the "FIFA Peace Prize."
Human rights organizations have not found this reassuring. Human Rights Watch, the ACLU, Amnesty International, and over 120 civil rights groups issued a formal travel advisory in April, warning travelers to the United States of risks including "racial profiling by law enforcement, invasive social media screening, searches of electronic devices," and potential detention. The advisory was translated into Spanish, French, and Arabic.
A coalition called Dignity 2026 — representing grassroots organizations in every host city — has been pressing FIFA for concrete commitments to protect residents, workers, and visitors. "The silence has been deafening," said coalition leader Jennifer Li.
FIFA sponsors have been caught in the middle. Human rights groups wrote to 19 corporate partners asking them to demand an "ICE Truce" — a public commitment from U.S. federal authorities not to conduct enforcement operations at World Cup venues. Coca-Cola and Visa both responded, saying they had engaged with FIFA on human rights issues. FIFA has made no binding commitment.
What Expats and Immigrants Need to Know
If you're living in the United States without citizenship — or attending games as an international visitor — here is what legal and advocacy organizations recommend:
Know your rights at all times, regardless of immigration status:
You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions from law enforcement. Say clearly: "I have the right to remain silent and to speak to an attorney."
You have the right to refuse a search of your phone, bag, or vehicle without a judicial warrant. Ask: "Do you have a judicial warrant?" and state: "I do not consent to a search."
If stopped on the street, ask: "Am I free to go?" If the answer is yes, leave calmly.
Do not resist or obstruct any officer, even if you believe the stop is unlawful. Resistance can escalate the situation.
Carry documentation of your immigration status if you have it. Know the number of an immigration attorney or legal aid organization before you go.
If you witness an immigration enforcement action near a venue, you have the right to document it from a safe distance.
The ACLU has published a full know-your-rights guide specifically for World Cup attendees, available at aclu.org in English, Spanish, French, and Arabic.
The Bigger Picture
There is something deeply dissonant about all of this. The United States fought to host this World Cup. It won the bid alongside Canada and Mexico in 2018, with promises of hospitality, openness, and the largest tournament in the sport's history. The final is at MetLife Stadium — in a state where 70 languages are spoken within a few miles of the venue.
And yet, the immigrant communities that built those host cities, that fill the stands at MLS games every weekend, that cook the food in stadium kitchens and drive the buses that bring fans to the gates — many of them are sitting this one out.
"While millions celebrate the 2026 World Cup," journalist Jorge Ramos observed, "thousands of immigrants are experiencing the tournament with fear."
The World Cup will go on. The goals will be scored, the anthems will ring out, and MetLife will host a final that billions will watch. But the story of this tournament will not be complete without the people who couldn't — or didn't dare — attend.
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