Will ICE agents stay away from the 2026 World Cup?

Controversy continues to surround the build-up to the 2026 World Cup after reports emerged that Trump officials had asked FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the tournament, and that some fans would have to pay more than $100 for a 30-minute journey to games in New Jersey. The pushback from New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill is in response to what she described as a $48 million safety bill for fans and that she will not “stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years to come.” Meanwhile in Texas a row broke out between Houston city officials and Texas Governor Greg Abbott after he threatened to withdraw World Cup safety grants if the city did not promise to cooperate with ICE officials. In this episode, Justin, Anthony and Marianna discuss the risks to Donald Trump if the event fails to run smoothly, and the real reasons why some Democrats are pushing back against plans for the tournament. HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 Presenter • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent • Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Correspondent GUEST: • Dan Miller, Reporter at POLITICO GET IN TOUCH: • Join our online community: • Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 • Email Americast@bbc.co.uk • Or use This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles and Grace Reeve. The technical producer was Stephen Bailey. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please

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Will ICE agents stay away from the 2026 World Cup? is an episode from Americast by BBC.

This episode is 27:04 long.

This episode was published on May 3, 2026.

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