# USA soccer sends emotional letter to players about pulling out of U-17 World Cup in Qatar amid Iran war

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/usa-soccer-sends-emotional-letter-to-players-about-pulling-out-of-u-17-world-cup-in-qatar-amid-iran-war/
- Published: 2026-11-12T23:33:38+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T00:28:08+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/usa-soccer-sends-emotional-letter-players-pulling-u-17-world-cup-qatar-amid-iran-war
- Topics: Culture, Football, Middle East, Sport, Travel, World

## Key points

- U.S. Soccer pulled its under-17 team from the Qatar World Cup.
- The federation cited safety concerns and a State Department travel advisory.
- The team had been due to play three Group J matches.

## Summary

U.S. Soccer has withdrawn its under-17 men’s team from the World Cup in Qatar, citing safety concerns linked to regional hostilities and a US State Department travel advisory. The federation also cancelled the team’s pre-tournament camp, saying players’ and staff’s wellbeing was its priority and expressing disappointment after months of preparation.

The decision became public eight days before the tournament was due to begin on 19 November. The advisory, issued on 23 October, urges Americans to reconsider travel to Qatar because of armed-conflict risks and requires US government employees to obtain special authorisation to travel there. The US had been scheduled to play Montenegro, Chile and Algeria in Group J; it qualified in February and named a 21-player squad on 6 November.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.