TheCable

President of FIFA Gianni Infantino has said the travel ban imposed on Muslim countries by US President Donald Trump could cost his country its chance to host the 2026 World Cup.

The United States is among the nations bidding to host the expanded 48-team tournament in 2026.

But Infantino says the US could be prevented from submitting a bid, noting that every team that qualifies for the World Cup must have access to the host country.

“Mr Trump is the president of the United States of America and as such of course (I have) huge respect for what he does,” Infantino said.

“He’s in charge, together with his government, to take decisions that are best for his country. That’s why he has been elected.

“We are now in the process of defining the bid requirements. In the world there are many countries who have bans, travel bans, visa requirements and so on and so forth.

“It’s obvious when it comes to FIFA competitions, any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup.

“That is obvious. The requirements will be clear. And then each country can make up their decision, whether they want to bid or not based on the requirements.”

UEFA president, Aleksander Ceferin, had recently stated that the World Cup can’t be played in a country with stringent travel restrictions.