Mount Pleasant v LA Galaxy: Ten players from Jamaican side refused entry to US for Concacaf Champions Cup tie

The visa complications highlight a potential issue for Haiti at this summer’s World Cup, which Canada and Mexico are co-hosting alongside the United States.

Haiti have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history, and have been drawn in a group with Morocco, Scotland and Brazil.

While the United States says players will be given exemptions to travel bans, the same has not been promised to spectators.

In January, the US State Department said a Fifa Pass appointment, which allows Fifa World Cup 2026 ticket holders to access prioritised visa interview appointments in the United States, does not allow people “who are otherwise not eligible” to be issued a visa.

Guidance from the State Department specified there are exceptions for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives”.

However, it added “the exception does not apply to fans or spectators”.

The US will host 78 of the 104 matches at the World Cup across 11 cities, including the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.