Trump didn’t ruin the World Cup. He just made it smaller, more expensive and less welcoming.

American soccer fans have suffered many indignities over the years: waking up before dawn to watch games overseas, enduring the men’s national team’s failures and listening to Alexi Lalas on television broadcasts.

But this year’s FIFA World Cup was supposed to make up for all that.

More than 1 billion people watch the World Cup final, making it the biggest event in sports. It is a global celebration. And in 2026, that celebration was finally supposed to be coming to our backyard.

Then President Donald Trump got involved.

Through a mix of manufactured crises and an apparent desire to make every major event revolve around him, Trump managed to turn the World Cup into a fiasco. It’s the biggest disappointment for American soccer fans since the men’s team failed to qualify in 2018 by losing to Trinidad and Tobago.

The trouble began in June 2025, when the Trump administration imposed travel restrictions on multiple countries, signaling to fans that the United States might not be a friendly place to visit. From there, longer lines at airport security, a Department of Homeland Security shutdown, threats to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to the World Cup, an explicit threat to pull customs officers from airports in some host cities and visa restrictions and denials to some teams all played a part in hurting the tournament.

The World Cup was supposed to be a melting pot of global soccer lovers, drawing visitors from all 48 of the participating countries. But fans from four countries whose teams are in the World Cup — Haiti, Ivory Coast, Iran and Senegal — won’t be allowed in thanks to Trump’s refusal to even temporarily suspend those countries’ travel bans.

One of the tournament’s top referees – Omar Artan – said he was denied entry to the U.S. and held by Customs and Border Protection for 11 hours. The Trump administration said CBP denied him for ties to “suspected members of terror organizations,” but Artan already had a valid visa issued by the State Department.

Iran, currently facing attacks from the U.S. military in a war that Trump entered with no congressional approval and little public support, is set to participate in the World Cup. But even a week from kickoff, the team was still struggling to get visas to let its players get to their matches, forcing it to relocate its base to Mexico.

Even players for ostensible U.S. allies are struggling to get in. Switzerland’s star striker, Breel Embolo, one of the team’s most recognizable players, faced a temporary block on his travel authorization as the U.S. looked into a conviction he had for his role in a fight in 2018.

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And the problems are not limited to other countries. American fans hoping to enjoy the matches also have run into corporate greed.

Ticket prices have become so bad that New York and New Jersey’s attorneys general are investigating FIFA for its ticket practices. Asked about similarly high four-figure ticket prices for the NBA Finals, which he attended on taxpayers’ dime, Trump was blasé.

“They can watch it on television. It’s semi-free to watch it on television,” he said. “But that’s the way life goes.”