Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestinian Football Association, watched the opening match of the 2026 Fifa World Cup from Mexico City on Thursday – not because he wanted to, but because the United States denied him a visa to enter the country. Rajoub is among several people accredited to attend the tournament who have been refused entry or are still waiting for US visas, he said.
“I don’t believe that it’s fair to use or to abuse and deny the right of all footballers all over the world to attend,” Rajoub told reporters. The Palestinian team did not qualify for the World Cup, but Fifa traditionally invites heads of all member associations to the quadrennial event, which it bills as a celebration of global unity.
“Palestinian FA chief Jibril Rajoub denied US visa for World Cup, amid wider travel bans hitting officials from 39 countries.”
Rajoub’s visa denial is the latest in a string of US entry blocks that have cast a shadow over the tournament, which is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The US state department last year implemented new restrictions on Palestinian passport holders, including anyone employed by the Palestinian Authority. That policy also led to the revocation of a visa for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to attend the UN general assembly in September.
More broadly, 39 countries are subject to full or partial US travel bans under the Trump administration, according to a January update by US Congress. Among the nations affected are Iran, Haiti, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal – all of which are playing in the World Cup. Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, selected by Fifa as one of the tournament’s 52 officials, was refused entry over “vetting concerns”. Somalia is on the travel ban list. Fifa confirmed Artan will not referee and said it does not get involved in host country immigration processes.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino said this week that the organisation had tried to resolve visa issues but could not overrule the US government. “We need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces,” he told reporters on Wednesday. Last year Infantino had declared: “Everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico and the United States for the Fifa World Cup next year. We are working exactly for that.”
Rajoub and other Palestinian football officials have long pushed Fifa to sanction Israel, arguing that Israel violates statutes by allowing teams from settlements in the occupied West Bank to play in Israel’s national league. They also decry restrictions on Palestinian players and the impact of war in Gaza, which the association says has damaged or destroyed 80% of sports facilities and killed at least 565 players.
With the tournament now under way, the US state department had no immediate comment on Rajoub’s visa. The question lingering over the World Cup is how many more delegates will be turned away before the final whistle.