In just over two years the world will travel to the USA for the World Cup. Gun violence, minority rights, the political climate: the security situation becomes an issue. The election outcome hangs over everything.
It was actually a day when sports fans in the US city of Kansas City were supposed to celebrate their Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory. But at the end of a dispute on the sidelines of the victory parade in February, one person was killed by gunfire and many were injured by weapons, including nine children. “You always have to expect that there can be such a heated atmosphere,” says political scientist Laura von Daniels of the German Press Agency about the situation.
The Club World Cup in football will take place in the USA in the summer of 2025. The following year, millions of fans from all over the world will travel to the country for the men’s World Cup. Together with its neighbors Mexico and Canada, the USA is hosting the largest World Cup to date. Kansas City is also a venue.
Mexico in particular has its own challenges with violence in stadiums and the threat from drug cartels. But it is not just since the tragic incident in Kansas City that questions have arisen about the safety of guests in the USA during the tournament – especially outside the arenas.
Lots of deaths from gunshots again and again
Deaths and injuries from gunfire are a sad daily occurrence in the United States. In 2023, almost 20,000 people in the USA were killed by firearms. This year alone, the Gun Violence Archive organization has counted 86 so-called mass shootings (as of March 29). The term, for which there is no exact equivalent in German, is used in the organization’s definition to describe incidents in which at least four people are killed or injured by firearms.
“Using and carrying weapons is completely normal in some states,” says von Daniels, who heads the America research group at the Science and Politics Foundation. “So actually having a revolver in your handbag is nothing unusual in the southern states of the USA.”
The rate of gun homicides in the country is many times higher than that of other high-income countries. The Foreign Office writes in its travel advice: “The number of purchases of weapons and ammunition has increased considerably recently.” Nevertheless, the USA is still considered a safe travel destination.
Expert sees danger for some fans
The world association FIFA did not address specific questions about security at the venues in detail, but said: “The safety of fans and players is an essential part of the entire event, and it will be no different in 2026.” The association always monitors the security situation at all hosts, right from the application phase through to the implementation of the tournament.
Von Daniels definitely sees dangers for some fans. “It’s not necessarily the case that people who travel to the USA are automatically threatened. But of course in individual states and especially when it’s people, people of color, who could come into a racist focus,” says she.
Overall, there is a heated mood towards immigrants from Central and South America as well as people of Asian origin. Von Daniels does not believe that there will be stricter rules for carrying weapons in public throughout the USA during the World Cup.
The situation for trans people has worsened
One of the main criticisms of the Qatar 2022 World Cup was the safety and freedom of people from the LGBTQI+ community. The English abbreviation stands for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans people, queer and intersex people, other identities and genders.
Even though the situation in the USA is still far from being comparable to the previous host, the situation for these people has worsened drastically in recent years. Last year, 84 laws targeting the groups were passed in US states, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
This involves, for example, education in schools and access to certain medical care. Trans people in particular, who do not feel like they belong to the gender they were assigned at birth, are often the target of Republicans. This has led to an increasingly hostile atmosphere in some countries.
Hostility is possible
“I can imagine that in World Cup venues, situations can actually arise in public where you have to expect at least rhetorical hostility,” says von Daniels. “And certainly associated with that, you have to think differently about your safety, i.e. where you are. For example, to what extent you are openly gay in public or as a trans person.”
But here too, one must clearly differentiate between the different countries, says the scientist. In larger metropolises where the games take place, tolerance is of course higher overall.
FIFA said “all fans will be welcome to every game of the tournament, regardless of game, stadium or city, as has always been the case and will continue to be the case.”
Dark scenarios if Trump is elected
The question hanging over everything is how the country would change if Donald Trump wins the election in November. “Simply put, things would get worse for the LGBTQ community if Trump is elected,” says von Daniels. When it comes to gun violence, the Republican has also repeatedly made it clear that he completely rejects regulating the purchase of weapons.
The 77-year-old has announced that he will deport migrants from the country on a large scale, clean up the state apparatus and take revenge on his political opponents. The USA could become autocratic under him. The climate towards foreigners, migrants and minorities would become more hostile.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
