Nigeria has officially submitted a bid to host Formula 1 Grand Prix in Abuja. This would make Nigeria ๐ณ๐ฌ the first African country to host such an event in over three decades.
What has happened at the #2026WorldCup over the last 48 hours:
โข Swiss footballer Embolo's visa was put under review and he was only able to join his team days later.
โข Iraqi national team player Aymen Hussein was held for questioning for nearly 7 hours upon entering the United States.
โข The Iranian national team spent days dealing with visa procedures at the U.S. Consulate in Tรผrkiye. The U.S. only allowed them entry on match days. Fifteen members of the delegation were denied visas.
โข Omar Abdulkadir Artan, named CAF's Best African Referee of 2025, was denied a visa. Despite travelling to the U.S. with a diplomatic passport, he was refused entry and sent back. FIFA announced that he will not be able to officiate at the tournament.
โข The South African national team arrived in the United States much later than planned because part of the delegation was not granted visas.
โข Members of the Senegal national team staff were forced to remove their shoes and subjected to lengthy searches, sparking accusations of racism.
โข The Uzbekistan national team was searched with bomb-sniffing dogs and the footage went viral in international media.
โข Some Scottish supporters, despite being eligible to enter the U.S. visa-free under the ESTA programme, had their travel authorisations revoked just days before departure.
โข Many supporters who had already bought tickets and booked accommodation had their visa applications rejected, resulting in financial losses.
The Senegal national team are been inspected as if they came into the USA with time bomb ๐ช๐ช
This is so degrading to we Africans, the American national team would not be searched like this anywhere
#WORLDCUP
JUST IN: ENGLAND LEGEND IAN WRIGHT LABELS US HOSTING OF THE 2026 WORLD CUP AS โWORLD CUP OF CHAOSโ
โIs this how the hosts behave for the greatest tournament in the world?โ
The English legend also called out Somali referee Omar Artan being denied entry into the US:
โFans denied. Players denied. Officials denied. Journalists denied. Now Referees?โ
Somali referee Omar Artan, who was set to be the first from his country to officiate at the World Cup finals, has been denied entry to the United States.