LGBTQ+ football fans given travel warning for 2026 World Cup over safety concerns

LGBTQ+ football fans from Europe are being advised by an increasing number of queer-focused supporter groups to not attend the 2026 Men’s World Cup, amid increasing over human rights violations in the United States.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is due to start on 11 June and will run until 19 July across the US, Canada and Mexico, with 16 cities hosting the tournament – 11 in the US, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.

The three countries were announced as joint hosts of back in 2018, which – at the time – came as a relief to many LGBTQ+ football fans because that year Russia was hosting and Qatar was set to be in charge in 2022. Both countries have abysmal records on LGBTQ+ rights and restrictive anti-queer laws which resulted in many LGBTQ+ football fans choosing not to attend in-person over fears they would face discrimination, abuse and arrest just for being themselves.

Many saw the US, along with Mexico and Canada, as host countries where LGBTQ+ fans could enjoy the sport they love and not compromise on being their authentic selves. However, in the years since the hosting decision was made, the reputation of the US as a safe country for LGBTQ+ travellers has diminished dramatically under the Trump administration.

Since returning to the White House for his second term, Trump has signed several executive orders that have sought to strip and crackdown on the rights of LGBTQ+ people, specifically trans folks. These orders have included proclaiming the official policy of the US is that there are “only two sexes”, banning transgender people from serving in the military, restricting gender-affirming healthcare for trans youngsters under the age 19 and barring trans women and girls from female sports. Trump has also moved to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programmes across the government and in the military.

According to the Spartacus Gay Travel Index, a widely shared global index that ranks countries on LGBTQ+ legal rights and safety conditions the United States dropped from 41st place in 2024 to 48th place in the 2025 edition.

Beyond just LGBTQ+ rights, concern has been raised about the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who have been violently detaining immigrants and US citizens alike as part of the US government’s push to carry out mass deportations.

Earlier this month, Three Lions Pride, which represents queer England fans, announced it would be boycotting the tournament over such concerns in a statement where it condemned the situation in the US as “unsafe and unacceptable”.

Following this, as reported by Outsports, other LGBTQ+ supporter groups have backed Three Lions Pride’s stance and issued their own warnings to fans.

Queer Football Fanclubs (QFF), Football Supporters Europe and the Sport & Rights Alliance both say they support the stance of the England squad’s queer fans, with QFF spokesperson Sven Kistner saying they also have “serious concerns regarding the safety not only of LGBTQ individuals traveling to the USA, but of all travellers to the 2026 World Cup”.

“The ever-worsening conditions for minorities in the USA under this administration leave us with practically no other conclusion than to advise our members against traveling,” Kistner added.

Anti-discrimination network Fare described the situation as “sad and regrettable” that the “most high-profile national team LGBTQ supporters group in the world feel the situation is so difficult that they are unable to travel and have declared a boycott”.