USA withdraws from U-17 World Cup in Qatar over safety concerns

The United States is withdrawing from the 2026 FIFA Under-17 Men’s World Cup in Qatar due to security concerns, a person close to the situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because U.S. Soccer had yet to formally announce its withdrawal from the competition. The news was first reported by U.S. Soccer Collective.U.S. Soccer informed players and their families on Wednesday, Nov. 11.The 48-team tournament is set to run from Nov. 19 to Dec. 13 in Doha. All matches will be at the Aspire Zone complex except for the final, which will be at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.Last week, U.S. head coach Alex Aldaz announced a 21-player roster for the competition, with the U.S. scheduled to kick off against Montenegro on Saturday, Nov. 21.Though the U.S. is withdrawing, there has so far been no indication that other countries are following suit. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, FIFA published the official squad lists for all 48 participants — including the USA. FIFA declined to comment when reached by USA TODAY Sports.The events regulations state that a team that withdraws from the competition within 30 days from its start will be subject to a fine of a minimum of 20,000 Swiss francs (around $24,000). A replacement team can be added, with the regulations noting, "The FIFA Council or the relevant committee may in particular decide to replace the Participating Member Association in question with another association."Earlier this month, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that the 2027 Asian Cup has been postponed amid deadly attacks in host country Saudi Arabia.The Middle East has been roiled by instability following the U.S. and Israel's decision to launch attacks on Iran in February.That instability has extended to Qatar, which has been targeted by Iranian missiles and drones this year. Two vessels have been hit in waters off Qatar in separate incidents within the past two weeks.The U.S. State Department currently lists Qatar with a Level 3 travel advisory, meaning visitors should "reconsider travel due to risk of armed conflict." The 2026 tournament is the second edition of the U-17 World Cup’s new annual, 48-team format and the second of five straight editions hosted by Qatar.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA withdraws from U-17 World Cup in Qatar over safety concerns