American President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban could make it impossible for his country to host the 2026 World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino warned on Thursday, AFP reports.
The United States is the favourite to stage the expanded 48-team tournament in 2026, either on its own or as part of a joint-bid with neighbours Mexico and Canada.
But with Trump seeking to ban nationals from several Muslim-majority countries, Infantino says the US may not even be in a position to submit a bid.
“Mr Trump is the president of the United States of America and as such of course (I have) huge respect for what he does,” Infantino told reporters at London’s Heathrow airport.
“He’s in charge, together with his government, to take decisions that are best for his country. That’s why he has been elected.
“We are now in the process of defining the bid requirements. In the world there are many countries who have bans, travel bans, visa requirements and so on and so forth.
“It’s obvious when it comes to FIFA competitions, any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup.
“That is obvious. The requirements will be clear. And then each country can make up their decision, whether they want to bid or not based on the requirements.”
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