The US pulls its teenagers out of the World Cup in Qatar eight days before kick-off, as the Joeys get ready to play

The United States will not send its under-17 men’s team to the World Cup in Qatar, a rare withdrawal from a FIFA tournament on safety grounds, made with kick-off just over a week away.

U.S. Soccer confirmed the decision on Wednesday, US time, after telling players and staff in a letter that it had made “the difficult decision” to cancel the team’s pre-tournament camp and that it was “no longer able to participate in the tournament.”

The federation said the well-being of its players and staff “will always be our top priority.”

Why did the US pull out?

The letter pointed to the US State Department’s Level 3 travel advisory for Qatar, issued on 23 October, which tells Americans to reconsider travel to the country because of the risk of armed conflict. The advisory cites attacks in neighbouring Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The region has been on edge since the war between the United States and Iran began in February.

U.S. Soccer said it consulted its own security team and the State Department, among others. It had already moved the team’s pre-tournament camp from Qatar to its national training centre near Atlanta.

The squad, named by coach Alex Aldaz a week ago, was due to open against Montenegro on 21 November, before games against Chile and Algeria.

What can FIFA do?

FIFA had not publicly responded by Wednesday evening, US time. Under its tournament regulations, a team that withdraws within 30 days of the start can be fined at least 20,000 Swiss francs, about US$24,000, and FIFA may replace it with another country.

Qatar is hosting the expanded U-17 World Cup every year from 2025 to 2029, with matches at the Aspire Zone complex in Doha. The tournament runs from 19 November to 13 December, with the final at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.

Does this affect the Joeys?

No change has been announced. The Joeys qualified for their first U-17 World Cup in seven years through the AFC U17 Asian Cup, and coach Carl Veart has named a 21-player squad.

They play Argentina on 19 November, Denmark on 22 November and Mozambique on 25 November in Group C. Families and fans planning to travel should check Australia’s Smartraveller advice for Qatar before they go.

Why does it matter beyond one team?

Youth tournaments are where the next generation of national team players get their first taste of World Cup football. The US decision shows how far the war’s shadow now reaches into everyday international sport, and it raises an awkward question for FIFA: whether other federations will make the same call before 19 November.