America Icing Out World Cup Fans

Summary

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What A Day – “America Icing Out World Cup Fans”

Date: June 10, 2026
Host: Jane Coaston
Guest: Bill Connolly (ESPN)

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Episode Overview

This episode explores how U.S. immigration policies—particularly under the Trump administration—are affecting fans, teams, and the overall environment of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. ESPN’s Bill Connolly joins Jane Coaston to discuss the intersections of politics, sport, and global celebration, highlighting the unique challenges and atmosphere surrounding this year’s tournament.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Political Backdrop: Inflation, War, and Domestic Policy

• Inflation and Economy:
  • Inflation surged to its highest level in three years, with consumer prices rising 4.2% over the last year. This is blamed on recent tariffs and impacts from the ongoing Iran conflict.
  • “Add loving inflation to the list of things that President Trump and I don't have in common.” – Jane Coaston (01:24)
• Ongoing Conflict with Iran:
  • U.S. airstrikes and retaliatory Iranian actions escalate regional tensions.
  • Trump’s approach: “We're going to be attacking them and attacking them very hard.” – Donald Trump (02:10)
• Controversial Domestic Legislation:
  • Trump signed a $70B bill funding aggressive immigration enforcement, despite Democratic opposition.

2. U.S. Immigration Policy Impacting the World Cup

• Visa Restrictions & Travel Bans:
  • Stringent U.S. policies barred fans and even officials—from countries like Iran, Haiti, Somalia—from attending games in the U.S.
  • “One of the top refs, a guy from Somalia, not let in…So he just got sent home. And we have one fewer ref now.” – Bill Connolly (05:27)
• Limited Flexibility Compared to Past Hosts:
  • Unlike Russia and Qatar, the U.S. refused to adopt a special FIFA visa/fan pass.
  • “The United States never agreed to that...it's gotten a little more stringent.” – Bill Connolly (05:54)
• Fan Impact:
  • Many with tickets couldn’t enter, meaning some stadiums lack fans from certain countries.
  • Atmospheres are affected: “Already the ticket prices themselves are going to influence it... we've priced out a huge portion of the world's population.” – Bill Connolly (07:18)

3. World Cup as a Political Flashpoint

• Deep-Rooted Politics:
  • The World Cup is “inherently political”—used for diplomacy, influence, and sometimes propaganda.
  • Hosting decisions (e.g., Russia, Qatar, U.S.) are riddled with power plays and corruption.
  • “FIFA's kind of mastered this little game where, in the name of spreading the game, they're also buying influence.” – Bill Connolly (08:37)

4. FIFA, ICE, and the U.S. Host Spotlight

• ICE at the Stadiums:
  • Trump administration confirms Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be present for ‘national security.’
  • Uncertainty about tactics and the impact on fans’ sense of safety:
    • “They haven't really hidden any of this...that's right at the top of the list of things to watch for.” – Bill Connolly (13:07)
• The Contrast with Other Hosts:
  • Previous hosts’ issues (e.g., Qatar and migrant workers) now mirrored by U.S. immigration controversies.
  • “Qatar, it was having migrants build all your stadiums…here in the US in 2026, that means immigration.” – Jane Coaston (13:03)

5. Can the Joy of the Game Survive the Politics?

• Resilience of the World Cup Spirit:
  • Despite negativity and restrictions, the global soccer community still finds joy.
  • “It does feel like FIFA is really kind of trying to test the boundaries here of like, how miserable can we make everything beforehand and have still people still show up and watch and pay and have a great time? We're going to find out because the game always rules.” – Bill Connolly (14:38)
• Unifying Power of Soccer:
  • Social media videos show how fans, despite obstacles, create memorable moments—Morocco fans in U.S. streets, Norwegians in NYC, etc.
  • “No, it's going to be the power of this event and the power of the sport. The fact that so much of the world is obsessed over it…it's going to be fun.” – Bill Connolly (15:56)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On FIFA’s corruption and ambition:
  • “In the name of spreading the game, they're also buying influence and buying literal things, physical, tangible...” – Bill Connolly (08:37)
• On the World Cup’s resilience:
  • “We're going to find out because the game always rules.” – Bill Connolly (14:38)
• On ICE at the games:
  • “We're all very curious to find out…details have obviously been very sparse.” – Bill Connolly (13:07)
• On fan atmosphere:
  • “The World cup is already a little behind in that regard because of all the travel involved in the costs, and this one's going to be behind even more.” – Bill Connolly (07:18)
• On the Netherlands fans’ line dance:
  • “If you've ever watched like 10,000 people all doing something while looking like they're having the best time, it rules.” – Jane Coaston (15:41)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:00 – Opening remarks; FIFA “testing the boundaries” of fan patience (Bill Connolly)
• 01:15–02:55 – Recap of inflation, Iran war, domestic politics, Trump’s stances (Jane, Trump, Connolly)
• 05:09 – Bill Connolly joins to discuss impacts on fans and referees (start of main interview)
• 05:27 – Specifics about visa denials, including referees from Somalia, Iranian staff/fans
• 07:18 – Ticket prices and restricted fan presence impact stadium atmosphere
• 08:09 – Discussion of the inherently political nature of the World Cup
• 13:07 – ICE participation at stadiums and anticipated impact
• 14:38 – The enduring spirit and joy of the World Cup despite challenges
• 15:32–15:56 – Dutch fans’ traditions and social moments highlighting soccer’s communal power

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Overall Tone & Takeaway

The tone is inquisitive, wry, and upfront—balancing concern about rising politicization and exclusion with optimism about the resilience of soccer fans and the unifying magic of the World Cup. Jane and Bill dissect serious issues—xenophobia, security theater, global diplomacy—without losing sight of the joy that the event brings to people worldwide.

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For listeners who missed this episode:
You’ll come away with a strong grasp of how America’s current political climate is shaping this historic World Cup—not just in terms of policy, but in the lived experiences of fans, athletes, and the international soccer community. Despite bureaucracy and border walls, the episode affirms: the game, and joy, may yet win out.

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Transcript

[Bill Connolly]

It does feel like FIFA is really kind of trying to test the boundaries here of like, how, how miserable can we make everything beforehand and have still people still show up and watch and pay and have a great time? We're going to find out because the game always rules.

[Jane Coaston]

I'm Jane Coston and this is what a day the show watching Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal make a Trump nominated candidate for the 8th Senate Circuit Court of Appeals. Extremely uncomfortable. Let me ask you, was the capitol attack on January 6th?

[Bill Connolly]

Senator, the actions on January 6th were

[Jane Coaston]

deeply troubling to watch, but I'm not

[Bill Connolly]

going to characterize it beyond you've watched.

[Jane Coaston]

It turns out even basic questions are tough when you have an orange president to please. On today's show, we get into the messy politics of the World cup with ESPN's Bill Connolly. Before we get into all that, here's what we're following today, Wednesday, June 10,

[Bill Connolly]

about the latest inflation number which came out this morning.

[Jane Coaston]

Could that be a no?

[Donald Trump]

I love it. The numbers were great. You know what I really love? I love the inflation.

[Jane Coaston]

Add loving inflation to the list of things that President Trump and I don't have in common. Rising gas prices pushed inflation to its highest level in three years last month. The Labor Department said consumer prices rose 4.2% in May from a year earlier. That's the third straight monthly increase. Inflation had been cooling before Trump imposed sweeping tariffs in April of 2025. Prices have since surged after the Iran war made oil and gas more expensive, which is bad. And speaking of war, the US Launched airstrikes early Wednesday against Iran and Tehran, fired back at countries in the region. While taking questions from reporters at the White House, Trump elaborated on this true social threat. That said, quote, they've taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them. Now they will have to pay the price.

[Donald Trump]

Well, we're going to be attacking them and attacking them very hard.

[Bill Connolly]

You're resuming bombing?

[Donald Trump]

Yeah, well, we are based on the helicopter. I guess we have the right to do that.

[Jane Coaston]

A US army attack helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week. On Tuesday, Trump said the helicopter was shot down. An official who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity said the helicopter had collided with an Iranian drone.

[Donald Trump]

We'll see what happens. But we hit them hard yesterday and we're going to hit them again hard today. In case you miss it, in case you don't turn on your television set and we'll see what happens with the deal. We were, we were really close to a deal, but they keep tapping us along. They keep playing us for suckers.

[Jane Coaston]

Amid all his blabbing, Trump signed a bill into law today that gives his immigration and deportation Agenda a nearly $70 billion boost for the rest of his time in the White House. House Republicans pushed the measure through despite the objections of Democrats. The law brings to an end a nearly six month fight over Department of Homeland Security funding, which began with the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis earlier this year. On today's segment of who tweeted that I bring you an absolute gem following Tuesday's primaries. Enjoying my first cup of coffee since getting my ass kicked last night and reading about how Dems nominated the guy with a Nazi tattoo. Any guesses? If you said South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace, you'd be right and she's not wrong. Mace came in fifth in South Carolina's Republican gubernatorial primary. Trump backed Lieutenant Governor Pamela Yvette, will face State Attorney General Allen Wilson in a runoff on June 23rd. And that guy with the Nazi tattoo? That's Graham Platner. Platner won the main Democratic primary for U.S. senate, setting up a high stakes race against Republican Senator Susan Collins. It's a resounding victory for Platner in the face of numerous scandals. And that's the news. Let's talk about the World Cup. The World cup is the world's best biggest sporting event, with an estimated 5 billion people watching the tournament in 2022. This year's edition will make history in two ways. It's being hosted by three countries, the U.S. canada, and Mexico, and it will feature 48 teams, expanded from the previous field of 32. Fans of Argentina, Cote d' Ivoire and other countries have already flooded TikTok and Instagram with their journeys to watch their favorite teams play. But also at play are a lot of politics. That's not new, of course, but what is new is how the Trump administration is influencing events on and off the field. For one, there are travel bans that have made it impossible for fans from Iran and Haiti to go to games in the U.S. there's also the expected presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at stadiums and FIFA's generally cozy relationship with Trump. Basically, the president is making an already weird and wild sporting event even stranger. So. So how will politics impact the World cup this summer? To find out, I spoke to Bill Connolly. He's a staff writer for ESPN covering soccer and college football. Bill, welcome to Water Day.

[Bill Connolly]

It's a pleasure to be here The

[Jane Coaston]

World cup is kicking off this week, first with a game in Mexico City on Thursday, and then with a game in Los Angeles on Friday. But not everyone who is supposed to be here has been able to get into the US thanks to the Trump administration's immigration policies. What do we know about who's getting in and who isn't?

[Bill Connolly]

Number one, we know there's, you know, one of the top refs, a guy from Somalia not let in, went back to a hero's welcome in Somalia, apparently. And apparently they couldn't just rearrange the schedule to where he. He refs in Mexico or something. So he just got sent home. And we have one fewer ref now than previous. And then as of like, less than two weeks ago, the Iran team will be allowed into the country to play their games, but a lot of their staff were still waiting on visas, and I don't think they're all that optimistic. And I think, you know, there was a rumor were going to have to leave by midnight on the day of the game, get back to Mexico, but that might turn out to be false. We'll see. We might give them a little more flexibility than that. But regardless, that has definitely happened. And honestly, just from the general inflexibility of the United States when it comes to opening up some of these policies for Russia and Qatar, Russia did not have a visa process, and with a FIFA pass, you could basically get into Qatar for the time of the tournament. And the US Never agreed to that. No matter. Two different administration. Administrations didn't agree to that because of general, whatever immigration or terrorism concerns. But obviously it's gotten a little more stringent. They've talked about loosening things up, but that came a little too late. And so I don't think many fans from some of the affected nations even tried to come. So we don't know how many of those would have been turned down to begin with.

[Jane Coaston]

How do you think that's going to influence just the game environment? Because one of my favorite things about watching the World cup is seeing, you see the interactions, I mean, we've been seeing in the friendlies, you see the interactions of fans of US Thrilled and Mexico and fans of, like, Cote d' Ivoire have taken over Philly. Like, that's one of my favorite things about the tournament. If you have fans from a bunch of these countries who literally have tickets but can't enter the United States, how's that going to influence the game environment?

[Bill Connolly]

Well, I mean, I think already the ticket prices themselves are going to influence it. A good amount to begin with just because we've priced out a huge portion of the world's population with the ticket prices. And obviously some of these will come down at the end. The tickets will be unsold, then you can snatch them up. Great. At the last second, doubt anybody was coming over from Tunisia or something on the off chance that they could get a ticket at the last second. So, I mean, already the environments were going to be impacted regardless. And obviously now there are certain countries that probably won't have much fan support beyond people who are dual citizens or who are already here, and maybe they can make up the difference. It is one of the best things about soccer in general is just the environments that it can create. The World cup is already a little behind in that regard because of all the travel involved in the costs, and this one's going to be behind even more.

[Jane Coaston]

Let's just back up for a second. The World cup is a massive deal for soccer fans, soccer players, professionals, people all over the world, like Didier Drogba helped pause a war when Cote d' Ivoire made it to the World cup like 20 years ago. So it's inherently political and has been. But what do you think makes the World cup specifically such a political flashpoint year after year? Is it about the teams playing each other? About FIFA, what is it?

[Bill Connolly]

Yeah, I mean, part of this is just the most popular. Everything we think of with football in the United States. Soccer is for the rest of the world. World's a big place and it's going to stir up a lot of passion. It's going to get a lot of very influential people involved as is. But for the last 50 years, FIFA, 50 plus, really, FIFA's kind of mastered this little game where in the name of spreading the game, they're also buying influence and buying literal things, physical, tangible. Because, you know, if you're running for fee for president, every country gets a vote. And so what's the best way to win that vote? Scoop up all the smaller countries that don't have the influence and want to have influence in this world, you know, and if you are an ambitious country like, say, Qatar, there is an obvious path to kind of buying your way in. You know, the biggest. I think the. What is it? 2010, when the 2018 and 22 World Cups were awarded simultaneously set bladder. The FIFA president at the time just basically wanted to buy, not a FIFA Peace Prize, a Nobel Peace Prize, and he wanted to basically set it up so that they could award 2018 to Russia and 2022 to the United States at the same time, bring the world together, make everybody a happy, harmonious place, and get himself a Nobel Peace Prize. Because that bidding happened the way it did and because they were basically working so far out into the future, everybody who was on that council who who voted on the World cup sites basically realized this is their chance for one last score. And that opened the door for somebody to usurp the United States, kind of cut in line a little bit, and it ended up being awarded to Russia and Qatar at the same time, which then massive corruption charges, you know, heads rolled, so to speak, and they kind of cleared out the leadership. And Gianni Infantino came in with the lesson that basically our problem was we are corrupt in private, as opposed to just being openly welcoming of all money of any kind out in the open. And he's taken things to a new level, it seems like.

[Jane Coaston]

We'll get back to my conversation with Bill Connolly in a moment. No stoppage time or var required. If you like the show, make sure to subscribe. Leave a five star review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. For some, summer is their favorite season, travel picks up, kids are out of school, and adventure is the focus. For others, juggling it all can be tough and can lead to overwhelm and counting down the minutes until the kids are back in school and many worry they're wasting the days of sunshine. Therapy can better help you understand your needs, feel more confident setting boundaries, and create a version of summer that actually feels good. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, Having served over 6 million people globally and it works with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for a live session based on over 1.7 million client reviews. BetterHelp therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully licensed in the us. You don't have to say yes to everything this summer. Find support and therapy, sign up and get 10% [e-mail] wad that's better. H e l p.com waad what a day is brought to you by oriframes oriframes shows the moments dad tells the stories. I have so many stories about my dad, like the hawk that lives in our front yard that I've learned a lot about over the last decade or so and I love having photos to show my friends just how great my dad is. Aura Frames makes the Best gift. Every frame comes packaged in a premium gift box with no price tag and you can share your photos and videos effortlessly. Download the free Aura app or text photos straight to your frame. Aura makes it easy to shop for dad named number one by Wirecutter. You can save now by visiting auraframes.com for a limited time. Listeners can get $35 off of select frames with code WADE. That's a U R A frames.com, promo code WATT. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Let's get back to my conversation with ESPN's Bill Connolly. So the World cup always puts its host country's problems in the spotlight. Qatar, it was having migrants build all your stadiums in 300 degree weather. And here in the US in 2026, that means immigration. So as we discussed, some people aren't being allowed to enter the country, whether they're referees or fans. But also, the Trump administration has confirmed that ICE will be present at the US World cup games for, quote, national security. What do we know about what ICE will be doing at those games?

[Bill Connolly]

We're all very curious to find out. It is going to be, I mean, the details have obviously been very sparse, but part of anybody covering the World cup for ESPN and everybody else, that's right at the top of the list of things to watch for because, yeah, they haven't really hidden any of this. And you talk about things that are going to impact the crowd, the level of the crowd, the intensity and fun in the festivities. This is supposed to be the most fun event in the world. Obviously FIFA tried to, you know. Well, it won't be, you know, well, you know, people can still get in and everything, but they clearly do not have any say in how this is going to go. And I think we're all very, very curious. Once the matches start, especially with the United States match in Los Angeles on Friday, we're going to see, we don't really know yet because they haven't said anything beyond there will be ice presence and we're very excited to see what that means.

[Jane Coaston]

So despite all of the politics that show up every time, the World cup is still at its core like the mecca for soccer lovers. But I was thinking about for this World cup where I was going into it feeling so negative. And then you start seeing videos of people like traveling across the country and going to BUC EE's for the first time.

[Bill Connolly]

Yeah.

[Jane Coaston]

Or you see Morocco fans celebrating in the streets because their team is here. You've got fans from Norway taking over parts of New York. Do you think that this World cup will be remembered differently because of the politics, or do you think that the power of the sport can overcome the politics again?

[Bill Connolly]

It does feel like FIFA is really kind of trying to test the boundaries here of like, how miserable can we make everything beforehand and have still people still show up and watch and pay and have a great time? We're going to find out because the game always rules. It just, it's unavoidable. For all the talk about Qatar and all the buildup to that World cup, we got a France, Argentina final that might have been the best final in the history of the World Cup. It was just a magnificent match. And, you know, especially with the expanded field, granted, that makes this thing last about a year and a half. It's just going to be the most exhausting tournament ever. But then also you get almost every star that you can think of in this sport is going to be in the United States or Canada or Mexico playing in this event. You're going to have all the star power, you're going to have all the, you know, the countries who can make it. You know, I'm covering a match in Kansas City. Get to see the Netherlands. The orange army of fans very excited about it. We're going to see the social videos.

[Jane Coaston]

Are they going to do the right, left thing? Oh, that's going to be so fun.

[Bill Connolly]

They better. I'm going to have to, you know, if they don't, I'm going to have to get everybody back outside to line up and do it so I can see it.

[Jane Coaston]

But for those who are not aware, the fans of the Netherlands do this line dance thing where they all yell like right and left and it's. If you've ever watched like 10,000 people all doing something while looking like they're having the best time, it rules.

[Bill Connolly]

No, it's going to be the power of this event and the power of the sport. The fact that so much of the world is obsessed over it and so many fan bases are just so fun to be around while this is all going on. It's going to be fun and it's just a question of whether the off the pitch stuff, pitch, by the way, pitch, pitch, you know, it's how much of a distraction that really provides, you know, with the ice presence and all these other things. It's been so conflicting trying to prepare everything that we're going to prepare for this, for covering this tournament because there are these horrible, annoying things and also it's going to be great. There are going to be great matches and that's going to overpower a lot of it.

[Jane Coaston]

Bill, thank you so much for joining me. And enjoy the games.

[Bill Connolly]

Absolutely.

[Jane Coaston]

That was my conversation with Bill Connolly. He writes about soccer and college football. Football for espn. Before we go, America's number one late night political gay live comedy podcast is hosting two very special Pride episodes this month. If you're in Los Angeles on June 16, you won't want to miss the live taping of these Love it or Leave it episodes. You'll hear all the jokes they have to leave on the cutting room floor in the name of common decency. The lineup includes Drag Race winner Mikey Meeks, hacks actor Mark and Delicato, stand up superstar Atsuko Okatsuka and legendary joke writer Bruce Falanche. Get your tickets now. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, say goodbye maybe to warrantless surveillance, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading, I'm not just about how Trump's decision to name Bill Pulte acting director of National Intelligence might mean that section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance act will sunset at the end of this week. Like me, what Are Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and [e-mail] subscribe I'm Jane Coasten, and admittedly, it's a little funny that a major facet of the American security state might disappear because Trump wants to pick a guy everyone hates for a position he shouldn't have. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. Our show is produced by Caitlin Plummer, Emily Foer, Erica Morrison and Adrienne Hill. Our team includes Hayley Jones, Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Joseph Dutra, Johanna Case and Desmond Taylor. Our music is by Kyle Murdoch and Jordan Kanter. We had help today from the East Coast Associated Press. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.