The government of U.S. President Donald Trump does not rule out raids or arrests of immigrants during the FIFA World Cup that the country will host in 2026, according to the head of the White House task force for the sporting event, Andrew Giuliani, on Wednesday.
“I must insist that President Trump does not rule out anything that would make this country safer,” Giuliani assured during a press conference held in Washington, ahead of the World Cup group draw being held this Friday in the U.S. capital.
Raids not ruled out for 2026 World Cup
🇺🇸 The Donald Trump administration is not ruling out raids and arrests of immigrants during the FIFA World Cup that the country will host in 2026, according to the head of the White House task force, Andrew Giulanihttps://t.co/8jitIXwxr9.
– El Universal (@El_Universal_Mx) December 3, 2025
“What we will not tolerate will be troublemakers who threaten security,” stressed the former golfer, who said the sporting event will demonstrate that “security and hospitality can go hand in hand.”
The celebration of the World Cup, which will take place between June 11 and July 19 next year and will also be hosted by Canada and Mexico, comes at a time marked by the harshness of the Trump Administration’s immigration policy.
When asked about the possibility of not granting visas to people who intend to visit the U.S. to attend the World Cup, Giuliani stressed that for the U.S. Executive “every visa decision is a national security decision”.
On the other hand, the White House’s top World Cup representative recalled that Trump himself and FIFA recently announced that anyone with a ticket to watch a match is guaranteed an appointment with immigration authorities to try to obtain a visa.
The son of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, he also pointed out that waiting times for visas in the consular sections of participating countries such as Argentina, Ecuador and Brazil have been reduced to less than two months, and that European countries and Japan have visa exemptions.
Regarding two countries participating in the World Cup that are on the list of nineteen nations whose citizens are banned from entering the U.S. by order of the Trump Administration, Haiti and Iran, Giuliani noted that “part” of both teams’ delegations have secured waivers to be allowed entry to U.S. soil.
In the case of Haitian and Iranian fans who want to attend as spectators, Giuliani referred the matter to the State Department, which is responsible for granting visas.
Filed under: 2026 World Cup Raids
With information from EFE
