Uruguay’s arrival at the 2026 World Cup came with an unwelcome detour — sniffer dogs working through the squad’s luggage on the side of the road before a ball had even been kicked.
It is not the first time visitors to this tournament have run into America’s hard-line border setup. Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was held for close to seven hours at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, while a team photographer traveling with the squad was denied entry altogether.
Strict checks at major tournaments are nothing new, but the optics of a national team searched on a public roadside have not gone down well. Many supporters see a clear pattern in who keeps getting stopped.
Fans hit out at FIFA and the United States over Uruguay search
The video of Uruguay’s roadside sniffer dog checks went viral on Monday, with fans from all over shocked at the way these elite athletes were welcomed into the States.
Much of the reaction zeroed in on the human side of it — the gap between years of preparation and the welcome that greeted the players.
One fan said: “Absolute madness in the US right now as the Uruguay national team gets pulled to the side of the road and treated like straight-up suspects.”
Which spurred another user on X to say: “Imagine training your whole life to represent your country at the World Cup, only to have your first touch in America be a sniffer dog checking your luggage on the roadside.”
Another framed it as a stain on the sport itself, writing: “For every joy football provides, the shame of FIFA & America takes it away.”
A recurring theme was who tends to be singled out. One user remarked: “What a coincidence that the fixation on registering and checking is always with American countries from Mexico southward or from Africa.”
Another picked up the same thread, pointing to the lack of any real choice.
They added: “What a disgusting organization, sadly one is forced to participate because otherwise they punish the national team that one represents.”
Have Uruguay missed their only chance to get ahead of Spain? 🤷♂️
What is going on with Marcelo Bielsa's side?
For many, the takeaway was simple. One fan said: “This country should never be granted the hosting of another world-class event.”
Another echoed that, questioning the logic of hosting at all. They wrote: “A country that should never again host a World Cup. If you only like people from your own country, then don’t organize an event that should be open to the world.”
It’s an appropriate reaction to the situation that is unfolding.
These are top professionals playing for a nation that has won the competition twice, and the treatment we have seen of them and of others attempting to participate in the global event that is the World Cup, has been unacceptable.
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