Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter is urging international soccer fans to reconsider traveling to the United States for the 2026 World Cup, arguing that President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies could pose risks for foreign visitors.
Blatter, 89, cited comments from Mark Pieth, a Swiss anti-corruption expert and law professor who chaired FIFA’s Independent Governance Committee during the organization’s reform period from 2013 to 2016. Pieth made the remarks in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Der Bund.
“For the fans, there’s only one piece of advice: stay away from the USA!” Pieth said. Blatter echoed that warning in a post on X on Monday, writing, “I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup.”
Pieth added that fans would be better off watching from home. “You’ll see it better on TV anyway,” he said, claiming that travelers should expect strict treatment at U.S. borders. “And upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t please the officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home. If they’re lucky.”
The United States is set to co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada, with matches scheduled from June 11 through July 19. While all three countries will host games in the early rounds, every match from the Round of 16 onward will take place in the U.S.
In response to concerns raised by Blatter and Pieth, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) moved quickly to clarify the role of U.S. agencies in tournament security.
“Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries,” DHS wrote Tuesday on X. “At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations.”
The department added, “All security operations remain under Italian authority.”
The U.S. State Department also told Fox News Digital that it will launch the FIFA Priority Appointment Schedule System, known as FIFA PASS. The program will allow World Cup ticket holders to access expedited visa appointments ahead of the tournament.
Applicants must still demonstrate they qualify for a visa, agree to follow U.S. laws, and commit to leaving the country once the tournament concludes on July 19.
President Trump addressed the FIFA PASS initiative last November, saying the Departments of State and Homeland Security had been working “tirelessly” to “ensure that soccer fans from all around the world are properly vetted and able to come to the United States next summer easily.”
Meanwhile, international controversy has also emerged around U.S. law enforcement involvement in global sporting events. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala recently said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would not be “welcome” at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy after reports indicated the agency would assist with security.
Sala criticized ICE following its involvement in two fatal shootings in Minnesota earlier this month. Pieth referenced those incidents in additional remarks.
“This is a militia that kills,” Pieth said during an Italian radio interview. “It’s clear they are not welcome in Milan. There’s no doubt about it. Can’t we just say no to Trump for once?”
Pieth went on to argue that political conditions in the U.S. make it an unattractive destination for fans. “The country itself is in a state of tremendous turmoil,” he said. “What we’re witnessing domestically — the marginalization of political opponents, the abuses by immigration authorities, and so on — doesn’t exactly entice a fan to travel there.”
He also compared the U.S. security environment to Mexico, where drug cartels have threatened violence ahead of matches in Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey, claiming the United States has become “increasingly authoritarian.”
Blatter’s comments come with notable context. He was forced out as FIFA president in 2015 amid one of the largest corruption scandals in sports history, involving allegations of wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering.
His successor, Gianni Infantino, has since developed a close working relationship with President Trump.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi dismissed the criticism over ICE’s role in event security, telling the Associated Press on Saturday that he does not “see what the problem would be” with U.S. officials assisting in safeguarding major international sporting events.
READ NEXT: Former Governor’s Secession Remarks Spark Outrage
Why? Are these “fans” planning to overstay their visit? If not, they have zero to worry about. This is just more liberal grandstanding. You don’t want to come here? Fine, stay home.
‘abuses by immigration authorities ‘ Yeah, I’m all torn up knowing Blatter (Mr. Corruption) thinks the United States is unsafe for athletes. It’s not a good place for spectators either. Not because of the cops, but because soccer is so boring it causes people to commit suicide.
The reason for people not to go is the fact that this is in Los Angeles. It’s one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. and guaranteed that there will be a lot of trouble from the criminal element and the illegal population. The communities of this country are no longer filled with peaceful people. The democrats, who are now controlled by foreign influences, have seen to that. Our cities are full of troublemakers, criminals, and low-lifes.
Who really cares? Soccer is a socialist sport resulting in riots.
Great advice, we need no more eurotrash whiners here anyway…..
Leftist mentality is worldwide. Failing once free countries will demonize the USA anyway they can. There desire is to drag us down with them.
Hummmm. It seems that this guy has determined that following U.S. law, … laws that have been in existence for many, many decades, is somehow going to cause problems for those who want to come here ( the U.S. ) to see these games.
These laws, which have been part of our way of governance for such a long time, should not ever cause any problems for anyone who simply follows common-sense laws which are much the same as the laws in most other modern countries. These laws never caused any problems for foreigners before. Why should they now?
Such scare tactics are not only stupid, but they are often just evil.