Countries warn about US travel

Several governments have updated travel advice for the United States as fans prepare for the 2026 World Cup, pointing to airport disruption, strict entry screening, protests, violent crime and high medical costs. (gov.uk, smartraveller.gov.au, diplomatie.gouv.fr) The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office has a dedicated World Cup 2026 page for U.S. travel and says the tournament runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across the United States, Canada and Mexico. It lists 11 U.S. host markets: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area. (gov.uk, fifa.com) Australia’s Smartraveller advice for the United States, updated March 16 and still current on April 12, says a partial U.S. government shutdown has affected some federal services, including airports, and may cause longer lines and flight delays. The same page tells travelers to avoid demonstrations, notes that U.S. authorities have broad powers to deny entry, and says gun crime and mass-casualty violence remain risks. (smartraveller.gov.au) France’s foreign ministry updated its U.S. alerts on April 7, 2026, and its travel pages tell visitors to check entry rules with airlines and U.S. authorities before departure. Its security guidance says major U.S. cities are generally safe but urges travelers to learn which neighborhoods to avoid and when extra caution is needed. (diplomatie.gouv.fr, diplomatie.gouv.fr, diplomatie.gouv.fr) Belgium also refreshed its U.S. travel pages in April 2026, including sections for the latest update and general safety. The Belgian site says its travel advice is guidance rather than a binding ban, which is typical of these notices. (diplomatie.belgium.be, diplomatie.belgium.be, diplomatie.belgium.be) What changed is not a blanket “do not travel” campaign. The official pages from Britain, Australia, France and Belgium mostly keep the United States open for travel while adding practical warnings tied to entry rules, crowded transport hubs, demonstrations, crime exposure and event-day scams. (gov.uk, smartraveller.gov.au, diplomatie.gouv.fr, diplomatie.belgium.be) That timing lines up with the scale of the tournament. FIFA says the 2026 World Cup is the first with 48 teams and 104 matches, and the United States will host most of the games, including the final in New York New Jersey on July 19. (fifa.com, fifa.com) U.S. agencies are also telling visitors to prepare early rather than stay away. U.S. Customs and Border Protection launched a World Cup 2026 travel page on April 6 with instructions on passports, visas, the Visa Waiver Program and Form I-94, while the State Department says visa interview wait times vary by embassy and can change week to week. (cbp.gov, cbp.gov, travel.state.gov, travel.state.gov) The British World Cup page also warns that no tickets will be sold at stadiums, that entry may require the FIFA app and identification, and that unofficial resale tickets may be fake or voided. It separately says accommodation and transport demand will be unusually high during the tournament. (gov.uk) So the message from these advisories is narrower than the headlines suggest: the United States is still open to visiting fans, but governments want travelers to sort visas, insurance, tickets, lodging and airport timing well before the first match in June. (gov.uk, [smartraveller.gov.au](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/americas/united-states-amer