US President Donald Trump’s Newly Signed Travel Ban Contains an Exemption for Players, Staff, and Families of Clubs Participating in Major Sporting Events

US President Donald Trump’s newly signed travel ban contains an exemption that could apply to players, staff, or associated families with clubs participating in the 2025 Club World Cup, the 2026 Fifa World Cup, or the 2028 Olympics. The exemption is outlined in section 4 of the order, which states that “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, travelling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state” are not subject to the ban.

The exemption could affect teams that have qualified for the Club World Cup, which will feature many of the world’s top club teams in venues across the US this year. Teams that employ players from countries named in the travel ban include Inter Miami, Botafogo, LAFC, and Pachuca, among others. These teams have a total of 10 players from countries subject to the ban, including Venezuela, Togo, and Iran.

It is unclear whether the “World Cup” mentioned in the exemption applies to both the 2026 World Cup involving international teams and the 2025 Club World Cup. Additionally, it is unclear whether the ban will force US-based players who play internationally for countries subject to the ban to return from the current Fifa international window early.

The travel ban is set to come into action on Monday, June 9, and will restrict travel from 12 countries and restrict travel from seven others. The nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen will be “fully” restricted from entering the US, while the entry of nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela will be partly restricted.

Fifa, the governing body of international football, has declined to comment on whether it lobbied for the exemption’s placement. However, Fifa President Gianni Infantino has publicly appeared with Trump on several occasions in recent months, including at the first public meeting of his World Cup taskforce and at the Fifa Congress in the Middle East.

The exemption raises questions about the potential impact on US-based players who play internationally for countries subject to the ban. For example, Venezuela has three players in their squad who play in Major League Soccer, and they are scheduled to play two World Cup qualifiers in the coming days. If the ban is enforced, it could force these players to return to their countries early, potentially disrupting their teams’ preparations for the World Cup.

The situation highlights the complexities of the travel ban and its potential impact on international sports events. As the ban comes into effect, teams and players will be closely monitoring the situation to determine how it will affect their preparations for the Club World Cup and the World Cup.

Teams Affected by the Travel Ban

Inter Miami: Telasco Segovia (Venezuela)

Botafogo: Jefferson Savarino (Venezuela)

LAFC: David Martínez (Venezuela)

Pachuca: Salomón Rondón (Venezuela)

Internazionale: Mehdi Taremi (Iran)

Ulsan: Matías Lacava (Venezuela)

Al-Ain: Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba (Togo)

Espérance de Tunis: Roger Aholou (Togo)

Josna Loulendo (Republic of Congo)

Mohamed Awadalla (Sudan)

Timeline of Events

Monday, June 9: Travel ban comes into effect

June 2025: Club World Cup takes place in the US

2026: Fifa World Cup takes place in the US, Canada, and Mexico

2028: Olympics take place in the US