US travel rules explained as World Cup star blocked from entering country just days before tournament
The travel rules have been revealed for a major country in the World Cup games this year after one of the star soccer players has been having issues with entering the nation.
The World Cup is making history in 2026 after it was announced that three nations would be jointly hosting the games, which will see global athletes travel to play.
But the Swiss national team might not be one of them after Breel Embolo learned that his application to fly to the US to play for the team in the World Cup, was placed under review.
Currently, players are arranging their travel to the States, Canada, and Mexico, which should be getting ready to host all 48 teams right about now.
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However, even though Embolo’s application had previously been approved, the team were notified that the status had changed shortly before they were due to fly out to the US.
In a statement shared with the BBC, the Swiss federation said: "Unfortunately, Breel Embolo is currently unable to travel to the United States with the team.
"His Esta authorization had been approved until this morning. However, at 10:30am, we were informed that his Esta application had been placed under further review."
They added: "We are currently in contact with the relevant authorities and expect that Breel will either join the team later today or travel tomorrow and join the squad then."
In light of Embolo’s travel woes, the travel information for flying to the US has been revealed.
According to law group, Fragomen, the Esta or Visa Waiver is a valid route to take to attend the World Cup.
Its website revealed that ‘travelers from certain countries may not require a visa to attend the matches this summer, as the visa waiver program permits entry for up to 90 days for tourism purposes using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).’
However, it went on to say that ‘country eligibility changes over time, and travelers should consult the current list of participating countries on the State Department’s travel website.’
The B1/B2 Visitor Visa Appointment Scheduling system’s appointment wait times can range from days to more than a year, and the process is longer than the above. So, visitors need to take this into account when applying.
Another way to fly to the US is the FIFA Pass, which is a ‘priority-scheduling tool for individuals who purchased World Cup tickets directly through the FIFA ticketing website’. This allows B1/B2 visa appointments to ticket holders.
However, there are some countries that have been barred from entering the US after Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Right now, four participating countries are subject to travel suspensions, per the National Immigration Forum:
- Iran
- Haiti
- Ivory Coast
- Senegal
There are also restrictions to 12 in total (Algeria, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Egypt, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia).
As none of these include Switzerland, it’s unknown why Embolo has been placed under review.
His birthplace of Cameroon isn’t placed under restrictions either.
UNILAD reached out to the US Department of State for comment.
Britt Jones