FIFA 'Make Decision' on Banning Country on Trump Travel Ban List From World Cup

FIFA have reportedly made a decision on banning a country from the World Cup that is on Donald Trump's travel ban list.

A total of 48 countries are set to compete in the World Cup across 12 different groups.

The tournament will be co-hosted by United States, Canada and Mexico.

Four nations - Haiti, Iran, Ivory Coast and Senegal - are all on US President Trump's travel list, meaning that although the players and coaching staff can travel to the States, fans are banned from attending.

A separate matter involves a total of 75 countries who have had immigrant visa processing temporarily suspended, though this does not relate to travel visas.

Senegal are the reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions, having defeated Morocco 1-0 in the final in Rabat earlier this month.

But there was major controversy surrounding the end of the match, with head coach Pape Thiaw ordering his players to leave the field of play after Morocco were awarded a debatable penalty in second half stoppage time.

Sadio Mane was instrumental in calling the Senegal players back to the pitch 👏#AFCONFinal | #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 pic.twitter.com/LV34ZuSoL4

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) January 18, 2026

The players, minus Sadio Mane, were off the pitch for 15 minutes before Mane convinced them to return.

Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz subsequently missed the penalty after his attempted Panenka was hit straight into the gloves of Edouard Mendy, before Pape Gueye scored the winner for Senegal in extra time.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF)'s regulations state that a nation 'shall be considered loser' if they 'refuse(s) to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee'.

There is no precedent for CAF to apply in such a scenario, however, even with the stripping of Senegal's AFCON title being one of their potential options for punishment.

French outlet L'Equipe report that CAF's disciplinary committee will make a final decision on any sanctions surrounding Senegal's actions during the final, using three reports submitted by the Congolese referee, the match delegate and two security officials.

The committee's chairman, Ousmane Kane, has had to be temporarily removed from his role as he is Senegalese, it is reported.

Officials from South Africa, Egypt, Chad and Niger will decide on whether Senegal should face punishment - and if so, how serious the punishment must be.

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However, the report adds that Senegal's participation in the 2026 World Cup is not at risk.

That means they will be free to compete in Group I, which currently contains France and Norway.

The winner of the second inter-confederation play-off bracket, involving Iraq, Suriname and Bolivia, will join them.

Senegal have only qualified for the World Cup on three previous occasions, reaching the quarter-finals in their debut appearance in 2002.

They were knocked out in the group stage in 2018 before reaching the last 16 in Qatar, where they lost 3-0 to England.