Palestine football chief says he wasn’t granted US visa to attend World Cup | World Cup 2026 News
Jibril Rajoub Awaits U.S. Visa in Mexico for World Cup 2026
Published on June 12, 2026
Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestinian Football Association, is currently in Mexico City awaiting a U.S. visa to attend the FIFA World Cup. Rajoub has joined several other accredited individuals who have either been denied visas or are still awaiting their applications.
Rajoub attended the opening match of the tournament between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday. However, he expressed frustration over the visa situation, stating it is unfair to restrict the attendance of football representatives worldwide. “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,” Rajoub told The Associated Press.
Although the Palestinian team did not qualify for the World Cup, FIFA typically invites heads of football associations from around the globe to participate in the event, which is promoted as a celebration of global unity. FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasized last year, “Everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico, and the United States for the FIFA World Cup next year.”
Despite this, the U.S. government has denied entry to delegates from various countries, including a referee from Somalia and a photographer accompanying Iraq’s team. Infantino acknowledged this week that FIFA has attempted to address visa issues but cannot override U.S. government decisions. “We need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces,” he stated during a news conference.
The U.S. Department of State did not provide immediate comment on Rajoub’s visa status. Last year, it implemented new restrictions affecting Palestinian passport holders, particularly those who had worked for the Palestinian Authority. In a notable incident, the U.S. revoked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s visa to attend the United Nations General Assembly last September.
Rajoub and other Palestinian football officials have long contended that Israel violates FIFA regulations by permitting teams from settlements in the occupied West Bank to compete in Israel’s national league. They have called on FIFA to sanction Israel, citing restrictions on Palestinian player mobility and the devastation of sports facilities in Gaza due to ongoing conflict, which they say has resulted in the deaths of at least 565 players.
In a recent gesture highlighting these tensions, Rajoub declined to shake hands with the president of Israel’s football federation at Infantino’s request, stating that such an act would not heal divisions but would instead gloss over Israel’s actions.
Rajoub noted that when Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup, there were no similar visa restrictions enforced on invited guests.
