Fans cheering for the two West African teams at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco were dismayed by the restrictions, which effectively bar those who don\u2019t already have visas from traveling to the U.S. to watch the World Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know why the American president would want teams from certain countries not to take part. If that\u2019s the case, they shouldn\u2019t agree to host the World Cup,\u201d Senegal supporter Djibril Gueye told The Associated Press in Tangier, Morocco.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s up to the United States to provide the conditions, the means, and the resources to allow the qualified countries so everyone can go and support their team,\u201d Gueye said.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump cited \u201c screening and vetting deficiencies<\/a> \u201d as the main reason for the suspensions. Fans from Iran and Haiti, two other countries who have qualified for the World Cup, will be barred from entering the United States as well; they were included in the first iteration of the travel ban announced by the Trump administration.<\/p>\n The restrictions include an exception for players, team officials and immediate relatives traveling to the World Cup, but no allowance has been made for supporters.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really want to participate but we don\u2019t know how,\u201d said Fatou Diedhiou, the president of a group of female Senegal fans. \u201cNow we just wait because the World Cup isn\u2019t here yet, maybe they\u2019ll change their minds. We don\u2019t know. We wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n Sheikh Sy supported Senegal at the last World Cup in Qatar and was determined to find a way to get to the U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve traveled everywhere with our team because we are the national fans of Senegal,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, since Senegal has qualified for the World Cup, we absolutely have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Senegal, which has reached the Africa Cup semifinals, plays its first World Cup game in MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 16 against France, four days before facing Norway in the same stadium. Its final group stage match is in Toronto on June 26 against a playoff winner between Bolivia, Suriname and Iraq.<\/p>\n Ivory Coast also has two games in the U.S., opening against Ecuador in Philadelphia on June 14 and finishing the group there on June 25 against Curacao after facing Germany in Toronto.<\/p>\n Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fa\u00e9 was optimistic a solution can be found for supporters. He pointed out that Ivorian fans faced a similar hurdle getting to Morocco for the Africa Cup when a visa requirement was introduced before the tournament.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the end, everything went very smoothly, and they were able to come as long as they had tickets to see the matches. I think things will be sorted out by the time of the World Cup,\u201d Fa\u00e9 told The AP at the team hotel in Marrakech.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a celebration, football is a celebration, and for me, it would be a real shame \u2013 especially since the World Cup only comes around every four years \u2013 it would be a real shame not to let our supporters come and experience this celebration,\u201d Fa\u00e9 said.<\/p>\n Limited support<\/p>\n Senegal and Ivory Coast face the prospect of playing only with limited support from fans who are legal U.S. residents, already have visas or have dual nationality with countries that are not affected by the travel ban.<\/p>\n Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande said there was little the players could do. It\u2019s not their country, and their focus is solely on what happens on the field.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s OK for us, we can play without supporters,\u201d Diomande told The AP. \u201cThe most important thing is to win every game and fight for every game.\u201d<\/p>\n Team captain Franck Kessie agreed, saying it was up to politicians to find a solution.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s also an events committee managed by the Ivorian Football Federation, so I think together with the government, we\u2019ll put things in place to make it easier for our supporters,\u201d Kessie said.<\/p>\n Steep costs<\/p>\n The travel ban isn\u2019t the only hurdle faced by Ivory Coast and Senegal fans hoping to go to the World Cup.<\/p>\n One fan wearing a lion mask for Senegal said he can travel to the U.S. because he also has French citizenship, but he won\u2019t as \u201ca matter of political conviction\u201d and because of the high cost of tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI have the impression it\u2019s all about the business world. They completely ignored the grassroots aspect,\u201d said the fan, who gave his name simply as Pape.<\/p>\n Ivorian supporter Tan Detopeu, speaking in Casablanca, said she feared the team will have little support in the U.S. because few Ivorian supporters can afford the tickets.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if there was no ban issue, I don\u2019t think that many people would have gone to the World Cup either because it\u2019s kind of expensive,\u201d Detopeu said.<\/p>\n![\"Senegal](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Africa-World_Cup-Travel_Ban_41110.jpg\")
Senegal fan Sheikh Sy, one of the official supporters who accompany the team wherever it plays, at the Africa Cup of Nations in Tangier, Morocco, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo\/Ciaran Fahey)
\nHoping for a solution<\/p>\n![\"Ivory](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Morocco_Africa_Cup_of_Nations_Soccer_01504_416f86.jpg\")
Ivory Coast fans during the Africa Cup of Nations group F soccer match between Ivory Coast and Cameroon, in Marrakech, Morocco, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo\/Themba Hadebe)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Morocco_Africa_Cup_of_Nations_Soccer_79192.jpg\")
A Senegal fan cheers for his national team ahead of the start of the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal soccer match between Senegal and Mali in Tangier, Morocco, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo\/Themba Hadebe)<\/p>\n