U.S. Soccer Withdraws Youth National Team From Qatar FIFA U17 World Cup

U.S. Soccer canceled its World Cup pre-camp and tournament participation following a Level 3 travel advisory issued by the U.S. State Department on Oct. 23.

U.S. Soccer has withdrawn its youth national team from the FIFA men's Under-17 World Cup in Qatar, the federation confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday. The decision, first reported by U.S. Soccer Collective, follows a Level 3 travel advisory issued by the U.S. State Department on Oct. 23. This advisory urged Americans to reconsider travel to Qatar due to risks of armed conflict, specifically citing Houthi rebel attacks in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Head coach Alex Aldaz had recently named a 21-player roster for the 48-team tournament, which is scheduled to run from Nov. 19 to Dec. 13. The U.S. was slated to begin group stage play against Montenegro on Nov. 21, with subsequent matches scheduled against Chile and Algeria. In a letter obtained by ESPN, the federation informed players that the well-being of staff and athletes remained the top priority, leading to the cancellation of the planned pre-camp and tournament entry.

Qatar is currently designated to host the U17 men’s World Cup annually through 2029, as announced by FIFA in 2024. During the previous edition of the tournament held in the same country, the United States reached the knockout stage before being eliminated in the round of 32.