With its military action, should the United States be banned from the World Cup?

Should the United States men’s national soccer team be banned from this summer’s World Cup soccer tournament due to this country’s military operations against Venezuela and Iran?

- By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

President Donald Trump is awarded the FIFA Peace Prize medal at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC this past December by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

The 2026 World Cup, featuring teams representing 48 countries, begins on June 11 with the United States, Canada, and Mexico as the host nations. The finals will take place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just 10 miles from downtown Manhattan.

FIFA holds the sole authority to exclude countries from participating in its sanctioned events. The FIFA Statutes are composed of 80 articles. The organization, based in Zurich, Switzerland, and officially yet nominally registered as a nonprofit, generates billions of dollars in revenue year-over-year and is, in theory, apolitical. Yet, over many decades, they have proven highly influenced by global political climates and embroiled in massive corruption scandals.