This summer, the 23rd FIFA World Cup will take place in the USA, Canada and Mexico. This tournament, which traditionally takes place before the start of each new World Cup, is already being referred to in the media as the tournament that should bring the organizers the highest revenue in history. The objective reasons for this are extremely important because for the first time, 48 teams will compete in the last part of the World Cup.

But as it looks now, not all national teams will be able to count on more support at the 2026 World Cup. At least in the United States, where 78 of the 104 games will be played in stadiums. And it’s not even about the traditional problem of how to grab tickets to the tournament. It is much more important to obtain permission to enter the country in order to take your seats in the stadium.

2026 World Cup ticket holders will be eligible for priority visa interviews to travel to the United States. The system, called FIFA Pass, which was previously announced by American President Donald Trump, became operational on January 20. It had to be implemented so that national team fans who qualified for the 2026 World Cup could conduct all the interviews required for visas in the simplest way. It is true that registration through FIFA Pass does not guarantee further visa approval, as representatives of the US State Department emphasized that the ticket holder will have to undergo a “comprehensive check”.

It is worth noting that citizens of many countries participating in the US Visa Waiver Program, which covers most of Europe including the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and some other countries around the world, will not need to apply for a visa. They will be able to visit the United States for up to 90 days by applying through the electronic travel authorization system ESTA.

The FIFA Pass program is required for citizens of countries that do not have a visa-free entry agreement with the United States. According to officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the innovation will reduce a number of bureaucratic procedures and speed up the process of obtaining a visa for a period of 60 days. This means that candidates will have to wait up to two months to find out whether they will be accepted to the 2026 World Cup matches to be held in the USA.

The official statement includes the following statements: “During the interview, the applicant must show that he/she meets the visa requirements, plans to comply with our laws and leaves the country at the end of the tournament. [ЧМ-2026]. “America’s security and the protection of our borders will always come first.”

The launch of FIFA Pass almost coincided with the announcement by American authorities to suspend the issuance of immigrant visas to citizens of some countries. In particular, the restrictions affected 75 countries, including five-time world football champions Brazil. Of this number, 15 countries (Algeria, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Uruguay, Uzbekistan) qualified for the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The other 7 countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, Kosovo, North Macedonia) are struggling to participate in the 2026 World Cup with the final qualifying rounds.

It is true that State Department officials later issued a statement that the suspension “applies only to immigrant visas” and “does not apply to nonimmigrant visas, such as visas for tourists, athletes and their families, and members of the media.”

The decision to indefinitely suspend immigrant visa applications for citizens of 75 countries came into force the previous day, Wednesday, January 21. Before this, US President Donald Trump extended the travel ban, which came into force on January 1 and prohibited citizens of countries on this list from visiting the United States.

For example, Haiti and Iran, which are eligible to participate in the 2026 World Cup, are on the list of countries subject to full restrictions, while Ivory Coast and Senegal, which are also eligible, are on the list of countries subject to partial restrictions.

US officials had already emphasized that the FIFA Pass program would not provide the opportunity to obtain a visa to people who “are not eligible for a visa for certain reasons”. In other words, this means that fans of at least the four countries listed above will not be able to fly to the United States and attend World Cup matches and provide loud and active support for their favorites.

There are exceptions, of course, but these apply to athletes, sports team members, including coaches, and individuals performing support duties, as well as their immediate family members. However, the statements made clear that the exceptions do not apply to fans or spectators in these countries. The latter will need to apply for a visa as usual, and the only concession they will be entitled to by purchasing advance tickets to any of the 2026 World Cup matches will be the right to priority interview appointments granted to them through the FIFA Pass programme.

Therefore, already many observers and experts emphasize that the 2026 World Cup risks becoming one of the most “hostile” events for football fans around the world. On the other hand, it is unlikely that the FIFA leadership will have real influence on the administration of US President Donald Trump, but even if this does not happen, the boss of world football Gianni Infantino has done absolutely nothing to try to somehow resolve this difficult situation. It is much easier for Infantino to come up with another incomprehensible award for Trump than to enter into an argument with him, it is still unknown what consequences this will have for Switzerland.

However, considering where the previous two World Cups were held and how the selection of the host of the 2018 and 2022 world championships took place, based on numerous rumors and facts in the media, this is far from the main scandal of FIFA…

Text: meta.ua