The United States have withdrawn their Under-17 men's national team from the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, citing safety concerns amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
In a letter seen by news agency AFP, US Soccer confirmed the decision, citing the US Department of State's Level 3 travel advisory for Qatar, which urges American citizens to reconsider travel to the country due to the risk of armed conflict.
"Unfortunately, in light of current circumstances, including the US State Department's Level 3 Travel Advisory for Qatar and related directives for Embassy staff and families, we are no longer able to participate in the tournament," US Soccer said in the letter. "The well-being of our players and staff will always be our top priority."
The 48-team tournament is scheduled to take place from November 19 to December 13. The USA were drawn in a group alongside Montenegro, Chile and Algeria.
US Soccer said it would inform the players' respective clubs about the withdrawal and asked the squad members not to comment publicly until FIFA officially announces the decision.
The U-17 World Cup became an annual tournament last year, with Qatar set to host the competition for five consecutive editions. The country previously staged the senior men's FIFA World Cup in 2022.
The USA's withdrawal comes amid wider disruption to sporting events across the West Asia due to the ongoing conflict. The 2027 AFC Asian Cup, scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, has been postponed by almost a year.
Several other sporting events have also been affected. The WTA Finals, originally scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia, have been relocated to Indian Wells in the United States.
In Formula One, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah was cancelled, while the Bahrain Grand Prix was also called off before being rescheduled in Malaysia.
