FIFA Contract Clause Could Scupper Plans for ICE at World Cup
A little-known FIFA contract clause could prevent ICE from being deployed at some games during the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
In just over four months' time, the United States, Canada and Mexico will jointly host the greatest competition in world football, with 48 nations taking part in a newly-expanded format.
It is set to be a controversial World Cup, with US President Donald Trump's divisive policies creating several issues for FIFA in the build-up to the tournament.
The United States has faced criticism over its military action in Venezuela, while Trump's threats against Iran and Greenland have also received international condemnation.
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The Trump administration has indefinitely suspended immigrant visa processing for people from 75 countries, including several nations competing at the World Cup, while FIFA is under fire for the cost of attending - with the cheapest ticket to the final priced at more than £3,000.
But it is perhaps the widespread deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the US that has caused the most concern for football fans ahead of the tournament.
The deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis this year, have sparked debate over the role of ICE under Trump and the safety of fans this summer.
Now, Canadian officials are pushing to ban ICE from local World Cup events later this year.
Canadian outlet CTV report that Pete Fry of the Green Party and Sean Orr of COPE are set to present a motion calling for ICE agents to be banned from joining the US national team if they play matches on Canadian soil this summer.
Fry said the motion was prompted by the news that ICE would be deployed to Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, which got underway earlier this week.
"ICE and some of their operations in the United States have caused a lot of political friction, let's say, and a lot of anxiety - and we've seen it manifest as protests and boycotts," Fry said.
"The idea here is to get ahead of that potential and ask the federal government to make it pretty clear that ICE would not be welcome to come to Vancouver to perform security in any capacity."
The US Department of Homeland Security has previously stated the purpose of ICE agents at the 2026 Olympics is to "vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organisations" as well provide security for US officials.
However, a FIFA contract clause could prevent ICE agents from being deployed in neighbouring Canada and Mexico during the World Cup.
Canadian outlet National Observer report that an agreement between FIFA and Vancouver contains a clause that requires the host city to cooperate with the host country's police and military forces to provide security. However, the provision only applies to Canadian police and defence forces, not those of the US or Mexico.
It is believed that Canada's other host city Toronto has an identical agreement with FIFA as Vancouver.
Trump recently stoked tensions around ICE on Wednesday, threatening five more unnamed US cities with the deployment of agents.
Praising the work of the National Guard and ICE in Los Angeles, Trump said: "We will do it again if we have to. And, by the way, we’re going to have a very safe Olympics and a very safe World Cup.
"We have five cities that we're looking at very strongly," he added. "But we want to be invited. We will sometimes call the governors.
"We'll be announcing them very quickly."
The 2026 World Cup gets underway on June 11, with the final taking place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.
Topics: FIFA, Donald Trump, Football, FIFA World Cup
Rory O'Callaghan