FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — The U.S. Soccer Federation will not send its under-17 men’s national team to Qatar for the FIFA U-17 World Cup due to security concerns related to the war with Iran, Yahoo Sports has learned.
“Sending 16- and 17-year-olds (to the tournament) given this situation was not tenable,” a person familiar with the decision said Wednesday. “The well-being of players and staff will always be at the center of any decision.”
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The USSF informed FIFA and its players and staff on Wednesday.
Those governing bodies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The U-17 World Cup will take place from November 19 to December 13. The American team was to participate for the sixth consecutive time.
As a precaution, the USSF had moved the Qatar team’s pre-tournament camp to the national training center near Atlanta. Practice was scheduled to begin Thursday.
The USSF made its decision Wednesday morning, two sources said.
The U.S. government has issued a Level 3 travel advisory for Qatar, located across the Persian Gulf from Iran. The United States and Iran have been at war since February and Qatar has been attacked repeatedly by Iran since the conflict began earlier this year.
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The United States moved diplomats and their family members out of the Middle East after an Oct. 23 intelligence report said: “Iran has significantly increased its efforts to target U.S. personnel (and) has reached advanced stages both in the Middle East and in some other countries.” »
A person familiar with USSF operations called the appeal to under-17 players and their families “pretty heartbreaking.”
The federation had been communicating with the players and their families for 10 days about “a fairly dynamic situation,” said a source.
The federation’s decision came after consultation with, among others, its Homeland Security team and the State Department.
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With many national teams traveling around the world each year for matches and tournaments, the USSF maintains close working relationships with government agencies and embassies. In this case, she also used her experiences preparing for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to assess the situation there this fall.
Discussions between the USSF and FIFA were “understanding and respectful,” said a person familiar with the matter.
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