Trump's travel restrictions could ruin America's chances of hosting the World Cup

American soccer fans cheer on Team U.S.A during the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The United States' bid to host the 2026 World Cup could be lost due to President Trump's travel restrictions on seven predominately Muslim countries, indicating that the reverberations of his 2017 executive order could be felt even long after he is out of office, The New York Times reports.

"It will be part of the evaluation, and I am sure it will not help the United States to get the World Cup," said FIFA vice president Aleksander Ceferin. "If players cannot come because of political decisions, or populist decisions, then the World Cup cannot be played there. It is true for the United States, but also for all the other countries that would like to organize a World Cup."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.