Fans warned of detention risk if they go to the US for World Cup
By Sky News, November 14, 2025The wife of British journalist Sami Hamdi, who was held for more than a fortnight by US immigration, has issued a stark warning to football fans travelling to the 2026 World Cup about the risk of being detained.
Mr Hamdi returned to the UK on Thursday after being arrested at San Francisco airport on 26 October.
US officials revoked his visa without warning while on a speaking tour, during which he criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the tour was cancelled due to security rules and that he was in the country illegally.
Sitting alongside him in an interview for Sky’s The World With Yalda Hakim, Soumaya Hamdi explained her concerns about British people travelling to the US.
“I would say to British citizens who value their freedom of speech to be very careful, because you’ve got the World Cup in the United States coming up next year,” she said.
“If this could happen to Sami on a valid visa, a British citizen, a registered journalist, then it could very well happen again.”
UK government response ‘very concerning’
Ms Hamdi added she was not happy about how the UK government had handled their case.
“The assistance that we received from the British government… was really very disappointing,” she said.
“I think this is really very concerning that the government is not taking more serious action with regards to our closest ally.”
Speaking about his arrest, Mr Hamdi said it had been “quite an aggressive experience”.
“They escorted me outside the airport, there was this black car, the kind of things you see in the movies,” he said.
“When I asked them ‘Can I call my family to let them know I’m OK?’, a lady from behind grabs me, pushes me on the car, and says, ‘All right, that’s enough. You’re under arrest’.”