With less than a year of time to go to the OTTAWA-2026 World Cup, political stress and American policy threatened to reduce problems as Canada, to cooperate with the United States and Mexico tournaments.
Next year’s FIFA World Cup will be the largest ever, in which 48 teams will be hosted in all three countries. Between June 11 and July 19, they will play 104 matches, most of them in America
Millions of fans expected to cross the boundaries to participate in sports, the rigorous immigration policies of US President Donald Trump – including travel restrictions on some countries, immigration raids and large -scale exile – are creating anxiety.
“All this is being operated by the United States. And we are a completely guilty party,” said Victor Mattheson, Professor of Holi Cross at Massachusetts.
“You can do important immigration problems with fans and players crossing the boundaries.”
The US has a ban on travel for 12 countries and is banned for seven, and is considering banning travelers from other 36 countries.
Although there are exemption for athletes, employees and families, Trump’s unpredictable means that no one certainly knows what kind of rules can be done by the time the tournament starts.
Economist Andrew Zimballist, who wrote a book on the economics of hosting the World Cup, said that it is difficult for people to travel to people in Trump, but it is not clear that he will actually do so.
“I think perhaps Trump may not have answers himself because … he responds very clearly to a change in his environment,” he said.
Concerns about Visa or political opposition for Trump may lead some football fans to decide not to decide, while others choose to participate in sports in Canada. But he also told that quarters, semi -finals and finals are all happening in America.
A spokesman for Canadian heritage said that the Canada could see one lakh international visitors during the tournament.
The spokesperson said, “Given the three-national nature of the incident, it is estimated that international and domestic travelers will move back and forth between Canada and the United States. The focus movement will continue on the flow of the movement, the safety of the passengers and the safety of the borders,” the spokesman said.
A spokesman for the Canada Border Services Agency said that the agency is working closely with federal government departments, host cities and FIFA “in the Security and Security Scheme for this international program.”
Matheson said that fans – especially the countries that have been found in Trump’s crosshair – have good reasons for being worried.
He said, “I am very concerned about planning a holiday, traveling to you from Mexico or from Canada to the United States and Back. I don’t think you can guarantee that a lifetime holiday is really going to take really for you,” he said.
He said that it is one thing that admission is to be denied, the other to end in jail and was deported – possibly in a jail in Al Salvador.
“No Some football wants to go to the World Cup to watch the game and then end in jail, ”he said.
Trump’s tricks can also affect the World Cup to put tariffs on most parts of the world including Canada.
Matheson set an example of someone who makes a jersey for a country’s team that wants to ship the jersey across the border with the team.
“Tariffs make that type of inventory management very challenging,” he said.
Tim Elcomb is a professor at the University of Wilfrid Lawrier whose expertise includes sports, politics and international matters. He said, “There was an understanding that political water would be pacified due to an incident in Canada, the United States and Mexico,” as the cup returned to Western countries.
Instead, he said, 2026 tournaments can be charged politically more than the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Canada is one of the world’s largest sports events with a country whose President has provoked a trade war and threatens anxation. Canadian people have cut travel to America and stopped buying American products – and it is not clear what it can mean for the World Cup.
While Vancouver and Toronto will host some games, “it is actually an American -centric competition,” said Elkomb.
“So how will Canadian feel about this? Will we follow it? Will it become the incident that I think they were expecting that it will happen?”
In early July, labor and human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, wrote to FIFA President Gianni Infantino that American policies under Trump pose a “serious threat” to individuals, especially non-non-citizens.
The letter accused FIFA of ignoring “clear evidence of the significant deteriorating rights of rights in the United States”.
Alkomb said that while the United States investigation is the brunt of canada, Canada is not immune.
He said, “Canada will have to be prepared for a very important look in terms of human rights points from human rights points, because I think they will be exposed,” he said, cited Canada’s relations with indigenous people as an example.
Sport at St. Mary University, Scott McCain for Business and Health and Leslie McLeen Center, McIntosh Ross, said Canada should pressurize the US government “to ensure that things are safe or safe.”
He said, “Canadian organizers and Canadian government should be very clear about their expectations for their allies in this World Cup and repeated them and repeated the kingdom repeatedly,” he said.
The Elkomb noted Infantino, who has “established himself a lot as a friend and supporter of President Trump,” it can be an important player in determining how the coming months came to the fore.
It is difficult to predict what Trump can do, the zimballist said. If there are political issues in the United States that he wants to distract people, “You can see him doing crazier and cracked things at the international level so that people’s brains are really happening.”
But Trump has also shown that he cares about the World Cup and looks good hosting the tournament.
“I think he cares about the image and he cares about being on the world stage,” the Zimballist said. “So I can see that really a significant obstacle.”
