U.S. keeps Palestinian football chief waiting outside World Cup venues
Jibril Rajoub, the Palestinian Football Association president, said he was waiting in Mexico City for U.S. permission to join other federation heads at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. FIFA says Palestine did not qualify, but association presidents are normally invited to the tournament as part of football's global governance circuit. The U.S. State Department had not commented publicly on Rajoub's individual case at publication time. The case is part of a wider access problem around the first 48-team World Cup, where U.S. immigration rules have already affected accredited football figures from several countries. A Federal Register proclamation published in 2025 exempts athletes and necessary team staff travelling for the World Cup from listed-country entry restrictions, but that wording does not automatically cover every federation official, guest or supporter. The football issue is therefore also a test of FIFA's promise that politics should not decide who can attend its showcase event.
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About this story
Jibril Rajoub (Palestinian Football Association president since 2008 and a senior Fatah figure) is both a sports official and a political actor in Palestinian public life. The Palestinian Football Association (FIFA member association governing Palestinian national football) has repeatedly argued that Israeli policies restrict Palestinian football. FIFA (Zurich-based world football governing body founded in 1904) runs the men's World Cup and accredits national football officials. Gianni Infantino (FIFA president since 2016) has framed the 2026 tournament as a global inclusion project while acknowledging host-state immigration powers. The 2026 FIFA World Cup (Canada, Mexico and United States, June 11-July 19, 2026) is the first men's World Cup with 48 teams. The U.S. State Department (federal foreign ministry responsible for visas) decides visa issuance. The Federal Register (official U.S. publication for presidential and regulatory documents) published the 2025 entry-restriction proclamation relevant to World Cup travel.
How to read this story
The history
The 2026 access dispute echoes concerns raised during the North American bid, when FIFA officials argued that teams, supporters and officials would need entry to any host country for the tournament to function. The United 2026 bid beat Morocco in June 2018 after U.S., Canadian and Mexican organisers promised a continent-wide event. In 2022, FIFA suspended Russian teams after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, creating a reference point for Palestinian officials who have sought action against Israel. In April 2026, Palestinian football officials were also reported to have been denied Canadian visas for a FIFA meeting in Vancouver.
The bigger picture
Rajoub's case sits inside a broader Israel-Palestine dispute in which sport is one arena for recognition, sanctions and legitimacy. Palestinian officials have pressed FIFA over Israeli settlement clubs and wartime damage to Palestinian sport, while Israel's football authorities reject politicising the game. U.S. visa policy adds another layer by making access to a global tournament dependent on national security judgments.
Why now
The issue became timely because the World Cup opened on June 11, 2026, and Rajoub was already in Mexico City while still lacking U.S. permission to attend events across the border.
What to watch
Watch whether U.S. authorities issue Rajoub a visa or waiver, whether FIFA publicly escalates the case, and whether similar problems affect other accredited officials before major U.S.-hosted fixtures later in June.
International angle
The case links football governance with border control in a tournament shared by the United States, Mexico and Canada. It also intersects with European diplomacy because EU institutions in Brussels follow both the Israel-Palestine conflict and the regulation of major international sporting events, even though the immediate decision sits with U.S. visa authorities.
What this means for you
Belgian fans travelling to North America should treat visa, ESTA and passport checks as part of match planning rather than an afterthought. For Belgian sports organisations, the case is a governance warning: accreditation from a world federation does not guarantee entry into a host country.
What happens next
FIFA is expected to keep raising unresolved accreditation and visa cases with host authorities, but any U.S. entry decision remains with American officials. Rajoub could still receive permission if a visa or waiver is issued. The next signal is whether other accredited federation officials, referees, staff or fans face similar problems as the tournament moves through U.S. venues.
Potential consequences
If more accredited football figures are unable to enter U.S. venues, FIFA could face pressure from member associations to clarify what access guarantees host countries must provide before future tournaments are awarded. The issue could also feed fan distrust among communities already worried about travel restrictions. For Belgium-based readers, the practical risk is not immediate disruption at home, but a reminder that international tournaments can be shaped by border policy as much as by fixtures.
Opposing perspectives
- Palestinian Football Association / Jibril Rajoub
Rajoub's position is that accredited football officials should be able to attend a World Cup regardless of political disputes. He argues that excluding Palestinian officials undermines FIFA's global-unity message and compounds the restrictions Palestinian football says it already faces through movement limits, damaged facilities and disputes over Israeli settlement clubs.
- FIFA / Gianni Infantino
FIFA's institutional view is that it can press hosts and seek solutions, but it cannot override immigration authorities. Infantino's line is that football's governing body is not a government or police force, so the practical responsibility for visas remains with the United States, Canada and Mexico.
- U.S. government security rationale
The U.S. government's wider visa framework is built around screening, national-security and public-safety claims. The Federal Register proclamation says restrictions can be justified where identity-management, information-sharing or overstay risks are considered inadequate, while preserving listed exceptions for athletes and necessary team personnel.
Timeline
- 2018-06-13·The United States, Canada and Mexico won the vote to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- 2025-06-10·The Federal Register published Proclamation 10949, including World Cup-related exceptions for athletes and necessary team personnel.
- 2026-04-16·Palestinian football officials were reported to have been denied Canadian visas before a FIFA meeting in Vancouver.
- 2026-06-11·The 2026 FIFA World Cup opened in Mexico City.
- 2026-06-12·Rajoub said he was waiting in Mexico City for U.S. permission to attend World Cup events.
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.