By Chris Lim, May 13, 2025
United States, together with Canada and Mexico, will be hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but it seems that, under the President Donald Trump’s stricter visa policies and travel bans, soccer fans around the world will face many difficulties to travel smoothly and attend the games.
This will be the second opportunity after 1994 the US will have to host soccer teams and fans around the world and be a part of the North America’s co-hosts that will welcome a record of 48 participating nations.
The host countries were selected in 2018 during the first Trump’s presidency, and since then FIFA has been working with the host-countries that soccer teams around the world will be able to travel and support their national teams.
According to the New York Times, FIFA stated fans who are coming to countries like the U.S., Canada, and Mexico can simply purchase a World Cup ticket to cover up visa entry.
However, the new policies, including travel bans and longer visa waiting time, may present the roadblocks for fans to choose to travel to the U.S.
Trump has already affected travelling to the U. S. by sending international college students back home, revoking their visas and banning people from some countries to travel to the U.S.
Countries like Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan and Venezuela all have national soccer teams that have a chance to make it in the upcoming World Cup, but those are also the countries whose citizens are banned or potentially restricted from traveling to the U.S.
Travelling to the U.S. has become harder but travelling potentially to three different countries that co-host the championship is even more complicated.
Canada is another country that requires visas for entering the country. Obtaining a U.S. or Mexico’s visa isn’t enough for fans to enter Canada.
Mexico, on the other hand, does not require U.S. citizens to acquire a visa and allows travelers from Canda, Japan and the U.K. visa free entry with a valid document that certifies their residence in those countries. However, other nationals still need a visa to enter Mexico.
Travelers from other countries are expected to showcase their passport with a visa about their travels and their time of stay, and entering Mexico becomes an easier process compared to travelling the U.S. and Canada.
Just a year ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with all these travel restrictions Trump has imposed, even traditionally frequent travelers to the U.S. from European countries and Canada fear the U.S. has become a dystopia with travel.
According to NPR, Denmark, the U.K., the Netherlands and Finland warned those who were traveling to the U.S., stating “residents may be liable to arrest or detention”.
Canada has also updated its traveling guidelines to the U.S. stating those who visit the States and plan to stay there for a month “must be registered with the United States Government” and warns that failure to register and comply with the government could lead to “penalties, fines, and misdemeanor prosecution.”
Even if travelers apply for visas, it might happen that they may not get the U.S. visas in time to attend the games or even if they will obtain the U.S. visas in time, might face issues to enter the U.S.
This is probably going to be the last World Cup where soccer fans will be able to see the world-class players like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo play for their countries, and legally entering the host countries should be a simplified process, not the one with multiple obstacles.
We are going to see young stars like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Lamine Yamal, shine on the field, but for many travelers to the three North American countries entering the host countries will be a bigger problem in the upcoming World Cup.
Fans should be excited to come to the U.S., Canada and Mexico for the World Cup, but with how things regarding visas and travel ban are being dealt with, many fans might have to miss seeing one last dance of some of the best players in the world.
Feature image by Connor Lālea Hampton
