More than 120 civil society organizations, including the ACLU and Amnesty International, have issued a travel advisory warning of safety risks for fans, players and journalists attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S.
In a statement, U.S. Travel Association CEO Geoff Freeman strongly condemned the effort, calling it "sabotage."
The advisory, released Thursday, highlights risks that the groups say travelers may encounter, including arbitrary denial of entry and potential arrest or deportation, expanded travel restrictions, invasive social media screening and electronic device searches, violent immigration enforcement that may involve racial profiling, suppression of protest and speech, and potential mistreatment in ICE detention.
The groups also allege that travelers from immigrant communities, racial and ethnic minority groups, and LGBTQ+ individuals face an outsized risk.
They recommend that visitors secure their electronic devices before traveling, alert friends and family of their travel plans, and download Human Rights First's ReadyNow! app, which can instantly notify trusted contacts in case of detention.
Additionally, the advisory points journalists toward resources from the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders.
A misrepresentation of the visitor experience
While U.S. Travel acknowledged some concerns around U.S. entry policies in its response, Freeman argued that the advisory misrepresents the experience of the vast majority of visitors to the U.S., which he said welcomed 67 million international travelers last year. He cited U.S. Customs and Border Protection data indicating the share of travelers whose devices were searched differs by less than 0.01% between the Biden and Trump administrations.
"We continue to oppose potential visa fees, social media screening and policies that make the U.S. less competitive as a destination," said Freeman. "We say that directly, including to the administration itself. But discouraging travel by calling the U.S. unsafe for visitors is a different thing entirely. The notion that visiting America poses a meaningful safety risk is not a good-faith warning, it's a political tactic designed to cause economic harm."
The 2026 World Cup, which is set to run June 11-July 19 across 11 U.S. host cities, is expected to draw as many as 10 million visitors, according to the ACLU.
The travel warning comes amid broader uncertainty around the World Cup's economic impact on U.S. hotels and host cities, with some industry experts warning that expectations for a blockbuster summer may have been overblown.