Palestine football chief says he wasn’t granted US visa to attend World Cup
Key takeaways
- Jibril Rajoub is in Mexico awaiting a US visa to attend the World Cup 2026.
- “I don’t believe that it’s fair to use or to abuse and deny the right of all footballers all over the world to attend,” the veteran Palestinian political figure told The Associated Press news agency.
- The Palestinian team did not qualify for the World Cup, but FIFA typically invites the heads of football associations from around the world to the event every four years, which it frames as a celebration of global unity.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Jibril Rajoub is in Mexico awaiting a US visa to attend the World Cup 2026.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Jibril Rajoub went to the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, but was denied a visa to enter the US [File: Majdi Mohammed/AP Photo]By The Associated Press Published On 12 Jun 202612 Jun 2026The head of the Palestinian Football Association says he is waiting in Mexico City for permission to enter the United States to attend the FIFA World Cup with other federation heads.
Jibril Rajoub attended the opening match between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday, but he has now joined several people accredited to attend the World Cup who have been denied visas or have yet to receive them from the US.