A senior White House official has defended the decision to bar several international participants from entering the US for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, asserting that the measures are necessary to ensure a safe environment.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup, suggested on Tuesday that the decision to block Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan "was for very good reason," without elaborating.
Addressing visa complications for the Iranian delegation, Giuliani said that while 31 players and the primary coaching staff got approval, several other officials were denied. He suggested that some individuals might have misrepresented their roles.
"As you can imagine, there are some people that claim that they are coaches that may not be coaches," he said.
Giuliani said the administration is committed to ensuring that individuals "directly working with the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) have no ability to access the United States."
'Level playing field'
Giuliani stressed that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio intend to provide a "level playing field" for competition while maintaining strict restrictions on specific actors.
The Iranian team will be based in Tijuana, Mexico, which Giuliani described as a "real quick" 25-minute flight to Los Angeles for their matches.
He also addressed reports of rigorous security checks for teams like the African nation of Senegal and Central Asia's Uzbekistan, saying that "secondary screening" is a standard part of maintaining safety for all fans and players.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19 across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the US. The tournament's final is scheduled for the New Jersey New York Stadium.
Super Bowl-like security measures
Giuliani said security at each of the US-based matches "will be set up like a Super Bowl," referring to the iconic annual American football championship. He said that the administration will implement multiple perimetre checks for fans, starting from the moment they board public transportation to reach the venues.
All matches of the tournament will be protected by "counter UAS (unmanned aircraft system mitigation) coverage" to prevent unauthorised drone incursions.
Additionally, he said the federal government has allocated a $500 million counter-drone grant to reimburse local law enforcement, while the FBI has established a specialised training centre to "deputise" local officers in the use of mitigation technology.
