Washington, DC – A White House committee organising the 2026 World Cup in the United States says the event will be a “global moment of unity”.“We want to make sure that we’re as welcoming as possible,” Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House Task Force on the World Cup, told reporters on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listBut US President Donald Trump’s escalating anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies are raising concern over Washington’s promise of a welcoming tournament.Giuliani talked up the US Department of State’s efforts to shorten wait times for interviews for visitor visas, allowing fans from across the world to come to the US during the World Cup, which Mexico and Canada will co-host.Despite Giuliani’s assurances, he also confirmed that there will be no special World Cup exemptions for fans from 19 countries that are under a US travel ban. He also did not rule out targeting undocumented immigrants for removal around matches.Daniel Norona, Americas advocacy director at Amnesty International USA, slammed the US administration’s approach.“You cannot have unity if you’re promoting discrimination, if you’re promoting repression, and if you’re pushing to silence anyone who disagrees with you,” Norona told Al Jazeera.“So I don’t think that we can call this a moment of unity if they are doing the opposite of what unity means.”Travel banTwo of the nations included in the travel ban – Haiti and Iran – are participating in the tournament.Asked repeatedly about the travel restrictions, Giuliani kept reiterating that players and direct support staff from banned countries will be issued visas, but that …
