the 2026 World Cup It starts in less than 500 days, and there is increasing concern that the United States is not ready to welcome more than 6 million visitors who will immerse the North America of the tournament.
Fans, politicians and other stakeholders, including FIFAThe World Football Ruling Authority, fear of strict migration rules and long visa waiting times will make it difficult for supporters and even players to enter the United States for Games, which distorts what FIFA President Gianni Infantino Once I promised to be “the most comprehensive World Cup ever.”
David J. Bir, Assistant Director of Immigration Studies at the Kato Institute, which is the Public Policy Research Organization: “It will be an enormous problem.” “No one is interested in this at all.”
Waiting times for interviews with commercial and tourist visas, which are raised under Biden AdministrationThe highest 330 days in 18 American embassies and consulate, with some of the next longest waiting in India, Colombia, Peru and Honduras. Since the World Cup tickets are not expected to be sold until late this year, most fans who plan to come to the United States will have less than six months to secure the necessary papers.
The deputy said: “I am deeply anxious because it does not seem to be an appetite to ensure that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is funded, prepared and focused on this issue,” the deputy said. Sydney Kamerger (D-Los Angeles), which last autumn led a group of two parties of 53 legislators in urging Anthony J. Plankin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, President Biden, to rely on sports diplomacy as the United States is preparing to host seven major global sporting events, including the world of Cope and 2028 Olympics in Los AngelesDuring the next decade.
“It is unreasonable not to erase the resources to ensure that we have the right people in the right places,” said Kamlager Duffy. “They need to facilitate these interviews and obtain these visas for those who are trying to enter our country for legitimate reasons. It will be unacceptable to allow our country to fail to put our best forward to the World Cup.”
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the agency “is committed to protecting our nation and its citizens by adhering to the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa.”
There is a lot at stake. The prestige of the United States will take a humiliating blow if it closes the red strip and the boundary democracy of the World Cup visitors. There will also be an economic cost. The Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, which borders the Kamlageer-Dove region, hosts eight World Cup matches. This is expected to bring 180,000 visitors and economic impact of about $ 600 million to Los Angeles Greater, according to a report issued by economic research for dualities and consultations.
The tournament will host the largest in the history of the World Cup with an expanded field of 48 teams and 104 games, by the United States, Canada and Mexico, and it is expected to attract nearly twice the number of visitors from June 11 to June 19, 2026, since the last World Cup in Qatar In 2022. 78 of these matches will be played in 11 American cities, which means that this country may have more than $ 3.75 billion of the economic lawsuit, the entire tournament is expected to be born.
“This is an unprecedented chance of our country as a country over the next ten years,” said Travis Murphy, a former American diplomat, who is the founder and director of Jetr Global Partners, a Washington -based company working to resolve the visa. Immigrant issues for athletes and sports privileges. “If we want these people, we will have to make changes. How do we manage the next few years – and immigration is an essential element in that – it will actually be a key to whether we are successful or not.”
(Mark Shevlin / Associated Press)
Trump’s management and supporters can have a lot to say about it. During its first term, when the United States and its neighbors were to host the 2026 World Cup, President Trump Three messages that FIFA promised that the World Cup organizations and their fans will not face upcoming restrictions to the United States for the tournament.
In one letter, Trump wrote that “all athletes, officials and fans who are qualified from all countries around the world will be able to enter the United States without discrimination.”
FIFA officials say concerns about the visa awaiting times – which also threaten the influence of the FIFA World Cup, which will be played in 11 American cities this summer – are exaggerated and indicate these messages and Trump’s personal relationship with Infantino as evidence that the president is committed to the World Cup And an event that is considered FIFA is greater than failing.
It should be noted that the administration received [was] In his position during the 2026 successful show, and signed the government guarantees as part of this process, “the organization said in a statement.” We continue to work with the various departments and agencies of the US government to ensure that the United States can benefit from this opportunity that was in the generation once To take advantage of billions of dollars in positive and good financial benefits, and to bring millions of people from different nations and societies together to celebrate the United States. “
Trump referred to the World Cup during the Gathering before Monday in Washington, DC last week, and in comments to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Nevertheless, some FIFA officials are still quietly worried, people who have knowledge of the unauthorized situation publicly discussed in the Times.
In its statement to the Times, the organization said it “will continue to pay visa information to fans and other stakeholders concerned through various FIFA channels” and works to ensure fans to obtain visas without the need to buy a ticket first, and delay that was almost impossible for people in Dozens of countries attend the championship.
While Trump spoke positively about the World Cup, he also honored immigration, legal and others, which is the axis of his administration agenda, tightening restrictions and reducing employees, which may provide a new friction for both commercial travelers and tourists looking for visas.
On Sunday, for example, as part of a A confrontation with Colombian President Gustavo PetroTrump has suspended visas processing and canceling appointments at the American embassy in Bogota, where the waiting was already 700 days. This is important because the United States and Brazil only, between foreign countries, bought more tickets to the 2018 World Cup from Colombia, the last of which the country qualified to play.
D-Ca is among those who warn the issues of delaying approval of the visa that can prevent many fans from attending the World Cup and the Los Angeles Olympics.
(Nathan Bosner / Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Foreign Ministry, which is now run by the former Senator in Florida Marco Rubio, is running visas and pledged to reduce waiting times, but she also said that she will not treat football fans preferred. This contradicts Russia and Qatar, the last host of the World Cup, who simplified the process of tickets to enter their countries.
Laken Riley, named after a nursing student in Georgia, was killed last year by the uncomfortable Venezuelan immigrant who was convicted of murder, could be mixed with things. Among other things, the draft law, which was approved by Congress and sending it to the President’s office last week, is granted the ability to demand the government to block visas from citizens of countries that refuse to accept the return of the deported citizens. This would allow, for example, the state of Iowa or Mississippi, which does not host any activities in the World Cup, and therefore does not have a financial share in games, to prosecute to prevent visas to people of more than ten countries.
“It is definitely complicated,” said Bear, who witnessed in front of Congress on immigration issues last week. “They can be clicked to prevent all visas. It may be a very big problem if they are fully executed.”
Trump’s harsh speech may constitute additional obstacles. Although many of the president’s anger was aimed at immigrants without legal status, many of his supporters have created this in opposing all forms of immigration, including accepting highly skilled foreign workers and even tourists. This may make it difficult for the Foreign Ministry to start approving hundreds of thousands of visas for World Cup visitors, even if they are qualified.
During the first period of Trump, temporary visas for non-immigrants-the type that was usually released for tourists-decreased by 10 % between 2017-19, and then decreased by 54 % in the last year of Trump, according to the Institute of Immigration Policy, although the Covid’s pandem -19 was also an effect on this decrease.
“The Trump administration has not given the priority of the visa treatment,” said Bear. “The visa processing has really slowed, removing the requirements to process visas quickly. So I can’t imagine that there will be some full newspapers for a task to process these visas in a short period of time.”
An attempt to obtain an American visa can be a complex, long and long distress. Applicants should start filling the DS-1660 form, which the Foreign Ministry says usually says 90 minutes to complete. Applicants must also submit intensive documents on their personal lives, education, the history of employment and places they intend to visit in the United States-all in English-and pay a non-recovered fee of $ 185 at a time of their personal interview at an embassy or consulate.
These rules do not apply to people in 42 countries covered by the visa waiver program, which is a cooperative agreement between the United States and partner countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, New Zealand, France and Australia, which enables the citizens of those countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days for tourism or work without visa.
In the fiscal year 2023, 1.8 million people were rejected, or nearly a quarter of those who applied for visitor visas. In the same year, according to the Ministry of Internal Security, 1.31 % of foreign visitors exceeded their visas.
“I don’t think anyone suggested that we be exposed to national security,” said Kamlager Duffy, a member of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. But she added, “There are some real things that they can do and we hope to find the courage to do so. It is not so difficult. They need more people to take care of these applications and do these interviews.”
The writer Tricssi Wilkenson contributed to this story.
