Football fans have voiced concerns that Donald Trump's proposed border control measures could significantly impact the FIFA World Cup, which is to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.

The President's administration has proposed rule changes that would require travellers to the US to provide five years of their social media history data, along with email addresses, phone numbers, and family member details. The ruling could affect 42 countries on the Visa Waiver Program, including the UK [England and Scotland], France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Japan and South Korea - all of whom have qualified for the tournament - potentially causing many fans to miss out.

According to FIFA's analysis, the World Cup is expected to contribute $30.5 billion [£22.8 billion] to the host economies and create 185,000 jobs in the US alone. However, these projections are based on initial estimates that the tournament would draw 2.6 million attendees, with roughly half of that number coming from overseas.

While England and Scotland have secured their spots at the World Cup, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland still have the opportunity to join them by winning play-off matches in March.

The proposal prompted TikTok user, Marcus Kidd to explain: "A new proposal put forth on the Federal Register by the Customs and Border Patrol plans to require all foreign tourists that are trying to enter the US to provide mandatory new data and it's regardless of whether they are coming from countries that require visas."

He added: "By the way, this is coming just months before the World Cup next year, and then a couple of years before the Olympics [in Los Angeles in 2028]. So it's setting the stage for everyone coming to have to provide all their social media data, addresses and family members' details."

Trump, 79, is often the subject of criticism on social media, and this proposal has only added to people's frustrations. "Looks like the football World Cup is going to flop," one TikTok user said.

Another predicted: "Yeah and the Olympics too, stadiums are gonna be full in Mexico and Canada and empty in the USA." A third individual added: "World Cup and Olympics are going to be very empty." Whilst a fourth TikTok user agreed: "So that means no one is going to the World Cup."

Meanwhile, Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, condemned the proposal, stating: "The US government's announced plans are profoundly unacceptable. Freedom of expression and the right to privacy are universal human rights. No football fan surrenders those rights just because they cross a border.

He continued: "This policy introduces a chilling atmosphere of surveillance that directly contradicts the welcoming, open spirit the World Cup is meant to embody and it must be withdrawn immediately."

The Customs and Border Protection's proposal will go through 60 days of public comment, a period that ends on February 9, 2026.

This follows Trump's decision last week to freeze immigration applications from 19 nations. The measure affects citizens from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, whilst imposing restrictions on those from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.