Canadian football fans are looking to boycott the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 matches scheduled in the United States due to widespread anger and frustration over Donald Trump’s oppressive actions.
The main reason for this fan-led boycott is the strict US immigration policies and aggressive border security enforcement.
Many Canadian ticket-holders, particularly those holding dual citizenship or originating from targeted nations, have expressed serious fears of racial profiling, unexpected searches, and arbitrary denials of entry at the border.
Recently, home-based fans from Ivory Coast and Senegal have been denied visas to the United States, leading to an outcry among fans in those countries and around the world.
Trump's list with bans and restrictions on visas also includes Haiti and Iran, with all the teams participating in the tournament.
Julien Kouadio Adonis from the Ivory Coast's fan association, the National Committee for the Support of the Elephants, says, ‘It's a form of segregation that doesn't dare speak its name, but the proof is there.’
‘No European country has faced this kind of restriction. Why Africa?’
Fan’s group in Canada has also targeted broader issues within FIFA, including the sky-high ticket price and governance structure.
Nicholas McGeehan, the director and co-founder of FairSquare, a non-profit organisation, said, ‘I don’t think FIFA meant to become a supervillain. But the way that football has grown is completely unsuited to FIFA’s governance structure. FIFA needs to make all its money in one year out of four. They want to wring every dollar or penny out of the host country.’
Other fan groups include the Football Supporters Association, Football Supporters Europe, Fans Supporting Foodbanks, and organisations like Fair Game, Pledgeball, and others.
A significant number of fans are utilising resale platforms to sell their US game tickets to focus their financial watch the matches in the host cities of Toronto and Vancouver.
High-profile international figures and human rights advocacy groups have raised the alarm over U.S. domestic policy, localised crackdowns, and a perceived lack of safety.
