In the fan zones and packed cafés of Morocco, where the Africa Cup of Nations has drawn thousands of supporters, the conversation is no longer only about tactics, lineups and title hopes. For many Senegal and Ivory Coast fans, the focus has shifted to something far more basic: whether they will even be allowed to follow their teams to the World Cup in North America.

Senegal and Ivory Coast, two of Africa’s most successful and passionately supported football nations, have seen their World Cup dreams collide with geopolitics. Both countries were recently added to the list of nations facing partial restrictions on entry to the United States under a travel ban imposed by the Trump administration. The United States is co-hosting the upcoming World Cup with Canada and Mexico, and several of the African teams’ key group matches are scheduled on American soil.

The new rules effectively shut out most ordinary supporters. While players, team officials and their immediate relatives are exempted, fans who do not already hold valid U.S. visas are, for now, barred from traveling to the United States to attend matches. For many, that has turned what should have been a once-in-a-lifetime football pilgrimage into a bureaucratic dead end.

In Tangier, where Senegal’s national team has drawn raucous crowds during the Africa Cup of Nations, the mood among supporters has darkened. Standing amid a sea of green, yellow and red, Senegal fan Djibril Gueye voiced a frustration shared by many.

“I don’t know why the American president would want teams from certain countries not to take part. If that’s the case, they shouldn’t agree to host the World Cup,” he said, insisting that a host nation has a responsibility that goes beyond stadiums and infrastructure.

“It’s up to the United States to provide the conditions, the means, and the resources to allow the qualified countries so everyone can go and support their team,” Gueye added.

The Trump administration has defended the restrictions by citing what it calls “screening and vetting deficiencies” in the affected countries. Senegal and Ivory Coast were added to a list that already included Iran and Haiti, both of which have also qualified for the World Cup. Fans from all four nations now find themselves in the same predicament: their teams are welcome, but they are not.

For supporters, the distinction feels arbitrary and deeply unfair. The World Cup is built on the idea of global participation, not only of teams but of the communities that follow them. The exception carved out for players and officials underlines that contradiction. On paper, the tournament remains inclusive; in practice, many of the people who give it its color and noise are being left behind.

In the stands in Morocco, the uncertainty is palpable. “We really want to participate but we don’t know how,” said Fatou Diedhiou, president of a group of female Senegal supporters who have followed the national team across continents. “Now we just wait because the World Cup isn’t here yet, maybe they’ll change their minds. We don’t know. We wait and see.”

For some, waiting is not an option. Sheikh Sy, a familiar face in Senegal’s traveling support, was in Qatar for the last World Cup and is determined to find a way to be there again, even if the route is unclear.

“We’ve traveled everywhere with our team because we are the national fans of Senegal,” he said. “So, since Senegal has qualified for the World Cup, we absolutely have to go.”

The schedule only sharpens the sense of injustice. Senegal, currently riding a wave of confidence after reaching the Africa Cup semifinals, is set to open its World Cup campaign at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey against France, before facing Norway at the same venue. Its final group match is in Toronto, where it will meet the winner of a playoff between Bolivia, Suriname and Iraq.

Ivory Coast’s path is similarly split between the United States and Canada. The Elephants open against Ecuador in Philadelphia, then travel to Toronto to face Germany, before returning to Philadelphia for a final group match against Curaçao. For both African sides, the U.S. fixtures were supposed to be marquee occasions, played in front of large, noisy diasporas and traveling fans. Instead, they risk becoming muted affairs, with support limited to those who already live in North America or hold passports from countries unaffected by the ban.

Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé is trying to remain optimistic. Speaking at the team hotel in Marrakech, he recalled that Ivorian fans had already overcome one major obstacle just to be at the Africa Cup of Nations, after a new visa requirement for Morocco threatened to keep many away.

“In the end, everything went very smoothly, and they were able to come as long as they had tickets to see the matches. I think things will be sorted out by the time of the World Cup,” Faé said.

For him, the issue is about more than logistics. “It’s a celebration, football is a celebration, and for me, it would be a real shame – especially since the World Cup only comes around every four years – it would be a real shame not to let our supporters come and experience this celebration.”

Inside the Ivorian camp, players are trying to keep their focus on the pitch, even as they acknowledge the emotional cost of playing in half-empty sections of stadiums that should be awash with orange and green. Winger Yan Diomande was blunt about the limits of their influence.