SECURITY CONCERNS: U.S. drops out of U-17 men’s World Cup 8 days before kickoff

Overview:

U.S. Soccer has pulled its Under-17 national team out of the Under-17 men’s World Cup in Qatar due to security concerns, multiple news websites reported on Wednesday.

U.S. Soccer has pulled its Under-17 national team out of the Under-17 men’s World Cup in Qatar due to security concerns, multiple news websites reported on Wednesday.

On Oct. 23, the U.S. State Department issued a Level 3 travel advisory for Qatar, warning Americans to “reconsider travel to Qatar due to risk of armed conflict.” The advisory cited attacks in neighboring Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran.

The 48-team tournament is scheduled to kick off Nov. 19, with the final on Dec. 13.

U.S. Soccer Collective was the first to report the news.

U.S. Soccer informed the players of the decision to withdraw from the tournament on Wednesday, in a letter, according to ESPN and AFP.

“We are writing to inform you of the difficult decision to cancel our World Cup pre-camp and our planned participation in the World Cup,” the letter said. “We are extremely proud of the preparation by our players and coaches to represent the US in the World Cup.

“Unfortunately, in light of current circumstances, including the US State Department’s Level 3 Travel Advisory for Qatar and related directives for Embassy staff and families, we are no longer able to participate in the tournament. The well-being of our players and staff will always be our top priority.”

Earlier on Wednesday, FIFA unveiled the rosters of the 48 teams via an email.

As of 5:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, it had no public statement about U.S. Soccer’s decision.

It was not immediately known if FIFA would include a last-minute replacement for the U.S.

According to FIFA events regulations stated that a team which withdraws from the competition within 30 days from its start will be subject to a fine of a minimum of 20,000 Swiss francs (around $24,000). A replacement squad can be added. “The FIFA Council or the relevant committee may in particular decide to replace the Participating Member Association in question with another association,” the regulations stated.

Last week, U.S. head coach Alex Aldaz named a 21-player roster. The Americans were scheduled to play Montenegro in their opener on Nov. 21, facing Chile and Algeria in their last two group-stage matches in Doha. All matches will be played at the Aspire Zone complex except for the final, which will be held at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.

In 2024, FIFA announced that Qatar would host the U-17 competition annually between 2025 and 2029.

Due to the war started by the U.S. in February, several events in the Middle East have been affected. This has included the WTA Finals (tennis), which were scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia, a neighbor of Qatar. The tournament is now being held in the U.S.

The Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah was cancelled. The race in Bahrain was called off and later rescheduled under the same name in Malaysia.

Earlier this month, the Asian Football Confederation announced that the 2027 Asian Cup has been postponed due to deadly attacks in the host country, Saudi Arabia.