World Cup Faces Problems with Trump and Immigration Rules

The World Cup soccer tournament will start tomorrow in Mexico City. This is the biggest soccer event in the world, with 48 countries playing 104 games. The games will happen in Mexico, Canada, and the United States over six weeks. However, many people are worried about problems that might happen during the tournament.

One big worry is about President Donald Trump and how he might affect the games. FIFA, the group that runs the World Cup, has tried to stay friends with Trump. They even gave him a special peace prize last year. Trump will probably give the trophy to the winning team at the end of the tournament.

Many soccer fans are having trouble getting into the United States to watch their teams play. The U.S. has very strict rules about who can visit the country. Some fans from Scotland have had their permission to enter the U.S. taken away at the last minute. Iran's fans reportedly had their tickets canceled just days before the tournament starts.

Players and referees are also having problems. A referee from Somalia was not allowed into the U.S. to work at the games. An Iraqi soccer player was questioned for seven hours when he arrived in Chicago. The Iranian team has to fly in and out of the U.S. on the same day they play because they are not allowed to stay overnight.

FIFA will make about 13 billion dollars from this World Cup. This makes it the most profitable soccer tournament ever. The United States is very important to FIFA because Americans spend a lot of money on sports. FIFA has worked with controversial governments before, including Russia and Qatar in recent tournaments.

Soccer is becoming much more popular in America than it was before. In 1994, when the U.S. last hosted the World Cup, most Americans did not know much about soccer. Now, many Americans watch English Premier League games on TV. About 12 percent of Americans say they follow soccer, which makes it the fourth most popular sport to watch in the country.