- Ayrton Costa was denied a US visa due to a past criminal complaint
- The player is linked to a 2018 robbery case and received a suspended sentence
- Boca confirmed Costa will miss the Club World Cup clash with Benfica in Miami
Key Takeaways:
Defender of Argentine giants Boca Juniors Ayrton Costa will miss the FIFA Club World Cup in the USA after being denied a US visa due to a criminal complaint against him in his home country, the club announced.
His name is linked to a robbery case in 2018, when he was a youth player at Independiente. The sentence at the time was suspended, and Costa only had to pay a financial penalty, but the incident left his record no longer clean.
US immigrations authorities have denied entry to Boca Juniors defender Ayrton Costa. They kick off their #CWC campaign on Monday. pic.twitter.com/jXOiy5kvDA
— Football España (@footballespana_) June 13, 2025
According to the new entry rules for the US, this is more than enough reason to deny a visa. The fact that Costa is part of a sports team set to compete at the highest level in a globally recognised tournament held in the United States made no difference.
Ayrton Costa joined Boca earlier this year and had become a starter in the final rounds of the league season. He previously played for Platense (on loan) and for Belgian side Antwerp last autumn. His name clearly shows who he was named after—his father and grandfather were big fans of legendary Brazilian Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna.
“We can confirm that Ayrton Costa will miss the Club World Cup with Boca,” a club spokesperson told the agency. “The defender was scheduled to travel on Wednesday, but was not granted a visa.”
The US Embassy in Buenos Aires has not yet commented on the matter. Boca Juniors’ first match in the tournament is against Portuguese giants Benfica on Monday in Miami.