Trump's U.S. travel ban injects politics into sports ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Here's why Haiti, Iran fans feel slighted.

The U.S. government currently do not allow the entry of nationals of Haiti as both immigrants and non-immigrants.

U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, a fellow Republican, urged the Trump administration to reverse its decision. Lawler's 17th District includes Spring Valley, home to the second-largest Haitian diaspora, per capita, in the U.S.

It would be five decades before Haiti’s men’s national team would feel that kind of joy again. Haiti’s women’s team made it to the World Cup in 2023, but that '74 trip was the last time the men qualified. Until last month.