The Under-17 World Cup starts in Qatar on 19 November, and the USA have pulled out over the risk of armed conflict
US Soccer has withdrawn its under-17 men’s team from the World Cup in Qatar eight days before the tournament starts, citing a State Department travel advisory.
Nov 12, 2026
US Soccer told its under-17 players in a letter on 11 November that it had called off their pre-tournament camp and would not be going to Qatar. It pointed to “current circumstances including the U.S. State Department’s Level 3 Travel Advisory for Qatar and related directives for Embassy staff and families.”
“The well-being of our players and staff will always be our top priority,” the letter said. A spokesperson would not explain the decision beyond that, and there has been no sign yet of any other country following the USA out.
What the travel advisory says
Qatar sits at Level 3 on the State Department’s scale, which tells Americans to reconsider travel there because of the risk of armed conflict. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman are at the same level.
Asian football has already felt this. On 3 November the AFC pushed the men’s Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia back by 11 months, to 23 December 2027 to 21 January 2028, with the new dates still needing FIFA’s approval.
Group J could be left with three teams
The USA were drawn with Montenegro, Chile and Algeria, and were due to open against Montenegro on 21 November before playing Chile on the 24th and Algeria on the 27th. They qualified by winning their CONCACAF group in St Vincent and the Grenadines in February, beating the hosts 8-0 and St Kitts and Nevis 10-0 before a 1-1 draw with the Dominican Republic sealed it.
Coach Alex Aldaz named his 21-man squad earlier this month. One of them, Philadelphia Union striker Malik Jakupović, scored eight goals in those three qualifiers and finished as their top scorer. He will be back with his club for the MLS playoffs instead.
Under the tournament rules, pulling out within 30 days of the start carries a fine of at least CHF 20,000, about $24,000, and FIFA can bring in a replacement. FIFA declined to comment. With the tournament starting on 19 November, it is hard to see another country getting a squad together in time, and Group J may simply go ahead with three teams.
The tournament without them
The 48-team World Cup runs from 19 November to 13 December. The group games are played on the pitches of the Aspire Zone, up to eight a day. This is the second of five editions in a row in Qatar, which has the hosting rights from 2025 to 2029. Portugal won the first one last November, beating Austria 1-0 in the final.
Nine Asian sides are in it: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Australia, Uzbekistan, China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. India are not. Their under-17s went out in the group stage of the AFC U17 Asian Cup in Jeddah in May, after a 3-0 defeat by Uzbekistan.