Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal will compete in a World Cup for the first time without official supporter delegations from their countries due to visa issues for the United States, representatives from both nations told AFP on Thursday.
The U.S. migration policy is particularly restrictive, complicating entry for some foreign nationals. It even affects tournament officials, like Somali referee Omar Artan, who was turned away despite having a valid visa.
“Supporters have given up on traveling because the U.S. doesn’t want fans from certain countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, on its soil. The U.S. has made it clear that they don’t want our supporters,” fumed Julien Kouadio Adonis, president of the National Committee of Elephant Supporters (CNSE), as quoted by AFP.
He added, “This situation hurts us deeply because it prevents us from fulfilling our duty to support our team. We could have showcased our culture and our passion for supporting in the stands.”
Only a small delegation of CNSE officials has been allowed to travel to the U.S. In previous World Cups or AFCON tournaments, the organization typically sent dozens of supporters.
Back in March, Mr. Kouadio had aimed to send around 500 supporters across the Atlantic.
The few representatives allowed will be tasked with “supporting Ivorian fans based in the U.S.,” according to Mr. Kouadio, who also noted that obtaining visas was particularly challenging: “It was not easy at all to get the visas. We had to negotiate and discuss to be heard.”
Côte d’Ivoire will have to rely on its diaspora, estimated by the CNSE to be over 1,000 people already in the U.S.
In Senegal, the situation is similar, with no official supporter delegations able to be sent.
“Since Senegal started participating in the World Cup, this is the first time we haven’t sent a delegation due to visa issues with the United States,” said Ndèye Dome Thiouf, communications advisor for the Ministry of Sports.
The ministry had tried to arrange travel for presidents of supporter associations, fully funded by the state, but their visa requests were denied.
“Personally, I’m disappointed. I think organizing a World Cup shouldn’t cause so many problems,” lamented Pape Mass Gueye, president of the Lebougui supporter group.
To address this absence, the Senegalese government plans to allocate 400 tickets per match for team members to nationals already in the U.S.
Finally, the head of U.S. diplomacy reminded: “Your ticket is not a visa.”
These restrictions, combined with the high cost of tickets, fuel criticism of a tournament seen as increasingly distant from its grassroots.
Côte d’Ivoire will play two of its three group matches in the U.S., on June 15 and June 25 in Philadelphia against Ecuador and Curaçao, while facing Germany on June 20 in Toronto, Canada.
