The US men’s national team have pulled out of the Fifa U-17 World Cup, which is due to kick off in Qatar in just over a week. In a letter sent to players explaining the decision, the US Soccer Federation cited safety concerns for players and staff, referring them to the US state department’s travel advisory for Qatar, which encourages citizens to reconsider travel to the country “due to risk of armed conflict” and asks government employees to obtain special authorization to do so.
“Unfortunately, in light of current circumstances … we are no longer able to participate in the tournament,” US Soccer’s letter to players reads. “The wellbeing of our players and staff will always be our top priority.
“Please accept our deepest appreciation for your commitment to US Soccer and our shared disappointment about these circumstances.”
A US Soccer spokesperson said the federation would not go into details about how it reached its decision. The Guardian understands Fifa was informed of the federation’s decision on Wednesday.
Fifa’s regulations for the U-17 World Cups stipulate that qualified nations must participate in the tournament or be fined, with withdrawal within 30 days of the tournament’s start resulting in a fine of CHF20,000 (about $24,000). Fifa has been approached for comment.
The ongoing situation in the Middle East – involving interconnected conflicts among multiple states – has already led to postponements or cancellations of international sporting events. The 2027 Asian Cup, the continental soccer championship, was due to be held in Saudi Arabia in January 2027 but has been postponed nearly a year due to the conflict between the Saudis and the Houthi rebels, and the Iran war. More recently, Qatar pulled out of hosting rugby’s 2028 Nations Championship finals due to uncertainty around the conflicts. The final races of the Formula One season are still going ahead in the Middle East, on 29 November in Qatar and then 6 December in Abu Dhabi.
Multiple missile strikes by the Houthis on Riyadh’s international airport killed 13 people and wounded hundreds in October. Later that month, US diplomats were told to leave Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Houthi attacks.
Qatar has been acting as a mediator in talks between the US and Iran aimed at ending the countries’ conflict, which started with attacks by the US and Israel on Iran earlier this year. A tanker off the coast of Qatar was attacked in October amid thetensions.
The U-17 World Cup is still due to begin on 19 November in Doha. The US were placed in Group J along with Montenegro, Algeria and Chile. The US roster that was due to compete in the tournament does not contain any household names, but features a number of promising young players in MLS and abroad.
