"I don't believe that it's fair to use or to abuse and deny the right of all footballers all over the world to attend." That's Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian Football Association, speaking from Mexico City — where he's been stranded after the United States denied him entry to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Rajoub made it to the opening match between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday. But crossing the border north? That's where it ends for him, at least for now. He's not alone. A Somali referee and a photographer traveling with Iraq's national team are among those who've hit the same wall. The US has quietly turned away a string of World Cup-accredited delegates, and FIFA's ability to do anything about it is essentially zero.
FIFA's hands are tied
Gianni Infantino, who spent last year promising that "everyone will be welcome" at this tournament, acknowledged the obvious this week: FIFA cannot overrule the US government. "We need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces," he told reporters. Not exactly the global unity message the tournament was sold on.
The US State Department offered no comment on Rajoub specifically, but the broader policy is clear. Since last year, Washington has tightened restrictions on Palestinian passport holders — including anyone formerly employed by the Palestinian Authority. That's a category Rajoub, a veteran Palestinian political figure, fits squarely into. The same government revoked a visa for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to attend the UN General Assembly in September.
Rajoub noted that when Russia hosted in 2018, it didn't apply comparable restrictions to invited guests. That comparison is pointed. Whatever you think of Russia's record as a host nation, the accreditation process didn't become a geopolitical filter.
Bigger tensions in the background
This isn't happening in a vacuum. Rajoub and Palestinian football officials have long pressed FIFA to sanction Israel over West Bank settlement clubs playing in Israel's national league — and over restrictions on Palestinian player movement. War in Gaza has destroyed 80% of sports facilities there. Last month, Rajoub refused to shake the Israeli federation chief's hand at Infantino's request, saying the gesture would "whitewash" rather than heal.
Palestinian football's grievances and US foreign policy have now collided directly at the sport's biggest event. The World Cup is supposed to be the one moment every four years when football transcends all of that. Right now, it can't even get its invited guests through passport control.
