Africa-Press. The American embassy in Dakar has refused to grant entry visas to several officials of the Senegalese Football Federation, a move that has sparked widespread controversy as the 2026 World Cup approaches, which will be hosted by the United States along with Canada and Mexico.
The Senegalese Federation fears that the decision will affect the participation of some prominent administrative figures accompanying the “Lions of Teranga” during the tournament. The rejected visa applications included six officials from the Senegalese Football Federation, including Deputy President Amadou Kine, as well as Moussa Mbaye, President of the “Stade de Mbour” club and a member of the executive committee of the federation. Mbaye explained that American authorities had previously indicated the possibility of granting special facilitation for the tournament, particularly for officials and staff associated with the participating teams.
Moussa Mbaye stated that the concept of “official representative” seems not to have been interpreted in the same way by the American consular authorities, noting that members of the executive committee of the Senegalese Federation should be included among the categories entitled to obtain visas related to the World Cup.
The Senegalese Football Federation had submitted a collective request for visas and intends to re-establish communication with the American embassy in an attempt to persuade them to reconsider the decision and resolve the situations of the officials whose applications were rejected.
In turn, the organization “Horizons Without Borders,” a Senegalese civil society organization, condemned the American decision, considering it detrimental to the principle of facilitating the participation of sports delegations in major international events.
The impact of the rejection decisions has not been limited to federation officials only, as reports indicate that several Senegalese journalists and fans have faced the same fate, which may prevent them from traveling to the United States to follow and cover the World Cup competitions. The Senegalese team is scheduled to compete in the tournament within Group A, alongside teams from France, Norway, and Iraq.
