‘Why Can’t Africans Be Here?’ — Koulibaly Questions US Travel Ban at World Cup

Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly has openly questioned US travel restrictions after many Senegalese supporters were unable to attend the country’s opening match at the FIFA World Cup.

Koulibaly spoke following Senegal’s 3-1 loss to France on Tuesday, saying it was unfair that African fans faced difficulties travelling to the United States for the tournament.

The issue follows a December 2025 decision by US President Donald Trump to impose partial travel bans on Senegal, Ivory Coast, Iran and Haiti, alongside restrictions affecting some immigrants and non-immigrants.

Reacting to the situation, Koulibaly told The Athletic:

“The federation did the work for us to have parents or our close family with us, but it’s true that some supporters couldn’t fly to America.”

The Senegal captain questioned why African supporters appeared to be treated differently.

“I think that every team can have their people, so I don’t understand why people from Africa cannot have their people.”

While avoiding direct political comments, Koulibaly insisted football should unite people regardless of nationality.

“I don’t want to speak about politics or something like this. I just want to speak about football, enjoy football, and I think football is for everybody.”

He added:

“I just want to tell this and I hope that the situation will be OK, but for me the most important is that we have to play for our people.”

Despite the travel restrictions, Senegal still received backing from Senegalese diaspora communities in the United States, particularly in New York where the match was held at MetLife Stadium.

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