{
  "id": 19565640,
  "title": "US pulls out from U-17 World Cup in Qatar — Reports",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/us-pulls-out-from-u-17-world-cup-in-qatar-reports-19565640",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-11T23:08:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/us-pulls-out-from-u-17-world-cup-in-qatar-reports/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United States has announced its withdrawal from the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, citing security concerns stemming from the ongoing conflict involving Iran. The decision was made following consultation with the US Soccer Federation's internal security team and the US State Department, with the federation highlighting a travel advisory urging Americans to reconsider travel to Qatar due to the risk of armed conflict. The US State Department had issued a Level 3 Travel Advisory for Qatar, which the US Soccer Federation deemed untenable for hosting a team of 16- and 17-year-olds. The federation notified FIFA, players, and staff of the decision on Wednesday morning. The US had previously relocated its pre-tournament training camp from Qatar to a national training center near Atlanta as a precautionary measure. The team was scheduled to begin their campaign against Montenegro on November 21, and the 2026 tournament is set to run from November 19 to December 13, with 48 countries participating. The withdrawal occurred just hours after FIFA confirmed the official squad lists for all participating teams.",
  "summary": "The United States has reportedly withdrawn its U-17 team from the 2026 World Cup in Qatar over security concerns linked to the conflict involving Iran. Read More: https://punchng.com/us-pulls-out-from-u-17-world-cup-in-qatar-reports/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "US Soccer removes team from U-17 World Cup in Qatar",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/us-soccer-removes-team-from-u-17-world-cup-in-qatar",
        "published": "2026-11-11T22:47:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "US withdraws from U17 World Cup in Qatar over security fears",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/us-withdraws-from-u17-world-cup-in-qatar-over-security-fears",
        "published": "2026-11-11T23:02:08.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}