FIFA World Cup 2026: Uruguay faces reported USA landing ban less than 24 hours before Saudi Arabia opener

Uruguay’s journey to the FIFA World Cup has hit an unexpected roadblock after reports emerged that the team was unable to fly into the United States because of aircraft paperwork issues.

With less than 24 hours left before their Group H opener against Saudi Arabia, the South American side was left waiting in Mexico as officials rushed to find a solution. The situation has raised fresh concerns around travel and entry procedures at a tournament that has already seen several immigration-related problems involving teams and officials.

Uruguay faces USA entry issue ahead of Saudi Arabia World Cup match

According to Uruguayan journalist Rodrigo Romano, problems were discovered with the official documents linked to the aircraft that was supposed to carry the team from Cancún to Miami.

Because of that issue, the flight could not immediately receive approval to enter U.S. territory.Romano shared the update on X and wrote: “At this hour, there are issues with the official paperwork for the aircraft bringing Uruguay to the United States.

“An urgent solution is being sought to allow the flight from Cancún to Miami, but the plane has some procedures that are not approved for entry into U.S. territory.“The squad is at the Mayakoba Complex waiting for updates.

Uruguay must land no later than 7:00 p.m.”The Uruguay squad remained at the Mayakoba Complex while officials worked on resolving the problem. The team is scheduled to face Saudi Arabia on Monday night in its opening match of the tournament.

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The latest travel issue comes after several other entry-related problems connected to the tournament. Earlier, Somalia’s Omar Artan, widely regarded as Africa’s top referee, was reportedly denied entry into the United States and was unable to officiate at the competition.Group H also includes Cape Verde and Spain, who are set to play before Uruguay’s scheduled clash with Saudi Arabia.Questions have also been raised about travel access for Iran. The Iranian football federation recently said FIFA President Gianni Infantino had not delivered on promises to ensure full access for federation officials to attend the team’s three matches in the United States.The U.S. State Department said the visa requests had been rejected because it “will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the U.S. under false pretenses”.As of now, the exact issue with the aircraft paperwork linked to Uruguay’s travel plans has not been publicly explained. Officials continue working to ensure the team reaches the United States in time for its World Cup opener.