Los Angeles Times
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Claim: A viral Facebook post claimed that Donald J. Trump has issued a strong warning to all visitors planning to attend the 2026 World Cup to leave the United States immediately after the end of the tournament.
Verdict: False. There is no official statement, policy, or credible news report to support the claim that Donald Trump issued such an order. No such directive exists on official U.S. government immigration websites, and no reputable news outlet has reported the claim.
Full Text
A viral post circulating across Facebook alleges that U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an immigration directive mandating that all foreign fans or visitors attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup leave the United States immediately after the tournament. The post suggests that this decision is meant to tighten immigration policies and deter visitors from overstaying their visas.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to be a global event hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Such a declaration, if true, would have significant diplomatic and travel implications. As the World Cup draws near, misinformation surrounding immigration and foreign policy often becomes fertile ground for political commentary or sensationalism. It is, therefore, necessary to assess whether this claim is factual or misleading.
Verification
DUBAWA contacted the claimant to provide proof of his claim, but the claimant did not respond. This further questioned his claim’s authenticity.
The researcher then contacted the Embassy of the United States of America in Freetown for clarification. While the embassy confirmed that the U.S. indeed discourages visa overstays as a general immigration policy, they made it clear that:
“They are only authorised to speak on matters related to the Embassy of the United States in Freetown and general policy.”
Instead, the embassy referred the fact checker to official U.S. government platforms where such announcements would be published if they existed. These included the White House and the Department of State’s newsroom for such releases or statements from the President.
A manual search through these sources revealed no official press release, executive order, or policy update from Donald Trump or any U.S. federal agency regarding such a directive tied to the 2026 World Cup. There was also an Executive Order to establish a Task Force to oversee the 2026 World Cup, and nowhere did Trump make a declaration or statement asking visitors to leave immediately after the tournament concluded.
While the Embassy did not confirm or deny the viral Trump statement directly, it affirmed that no such statement or directive has been issued through any official embassy communication.
Additionally, no reputable media outlets, including the BBC, CNN, Reuters, or USA Today, mentioned such a directive. These media houses are reporting on Trump’s political activities, upcoming elections, and legal matters, but none have reported any such statement involving FIFA World Cup deportations.
Review of Official Government and Sports Platforms
Neither the Official U.S. government portal nor the official FIFA World Cup page mentions such a policy or statement by Trump regarding post-World Cup deportations.
Search on Trump’s Official Social Platforms
Donald Trump is known to communicate policy intentions via Truth Social and his Official page. DUBAWA conducted a keyword and date-filtered search of Trump’s Truth Social page, and it revealed no posts related to the 2026 World Cup and immigration directives.
Conclusion
There is no evidence to support the claim that Donald Trump ordered foreign visitors to the 2026 FIFA World Cup to leave immediately after the tournament. The false claim is likely intended to stir panic or push a political narrative. No official government page, immigration authority, sports body, or major news outlet confirms it. DUBAWA advises the public to treat such posts sceptically and verify information from trusted sources before sharing.
This is one of those cases where the facts are almost correct, but just a little skewed. It was not Trump who said this, but it WAS J.D Vance. He said “We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game. But, when the time is up, they’ll have to go home.” This is in direct reference to illegal immigration and people overstaying their Visas.