The United States has refused visas to fans from Ivory Coast who wanted to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This information came from Julien Kouadio Adonis, president of the National Committee of Elephants Supporters.
Kouadio explained that this decision has made many fans cancel their plans to travel for the tournament, which starts on Thursday.
Concerns about US visa policies have affected many participants and officials leading up to the World Cup. Just earlier this week, Somali referee Omar Artan was reportedly denied entry, and some members of the Iranian national team’s support staff also had their visa applications rejected.
Kouadio spoke about the challenges supporters are facing. He said they have no choice but to give up their travel plans.
“The supporters have cancelled the trip because the US government does not want to see supporters from certain countries, including the Ivory Coast, on its soil.
“The United States has been clear with us, saying they do not want to see our supporters,” he said.
He went on to say, “This situation hurts us deeply because it prevents us from fulfilling our sacred duty, which is to support our team.”
The CNSE, which works under the Ivory Coast Ministry of Sport, handles travel arrangements for fans who want to follow the national team during international events.
Ivory Coast is set to play two of their three group-stage matches in Philadelphia. They will face Ecuador on June 15 and Curacao on June 25. The team will also travel to Toronto for a match against Germany in between those two fixtures.
Back in March, Kouadio told AFP that he was hopeful 500 supporters would make the trip from Ivory Coast to attend the tournament.
Despite the visa issues, he mentioned that a small number of CNSE officials have been allowed to travel to the World Cup.
Some committee officials will be at the tournament to “look after the Ivorian supporters based in the United States,” Kouadio said.
The CNSE believes that over 1,000 Ivorian supporters living in the US will come to watch the team’s matches during the competition.
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