US opens priority visa appointment system for World Cup

Fans of World Cup 2026 tickets can now obtain priority visas for travel to the United States, but it’s still uncertain whether all qualified fans will be able to enter.

The US President Donald Trump announced the Fifa Prioritized Appointment Scheduling System, or Fifa Pass, on Tuesday.

Some countries’ citizens whose teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup may not otherwise be able to get visa appointments in time for the event.

However, the US State Department has emphasized that all ticket holders must undergo “prolonged security screening and vetting,” as a result of a Fifa Pass appointment.

Most citizens of nations who are eligible for the US visa waiver program, which covers most of Europe, including the UK, Japan, Australia, and others, do not need a Fifa Pass. Instead, travelers from those nations would need to submit an Esta, an electronic system for travel authorization.

Application wait times will be shorter thanks to the new Fifa Pass system, which allows applicants to schedule a visa appointment in “less than 60 days,” according to a senior State Department official.

Football fans in nations where the US has suspended the processing of immigrant visas will still be able to apply for admission to the country for the World Cup this year.

Last Wednesday, the US announced that it would stop processing immigrant visa applications from 75 nations, including Brazil, which has qualified for the World Cup five times.

The US, Canada, and Mexico will host the tournament this year, which will take place from June 11 through July 19 in one of the list’s remaining nations, who are still in contention to make it to the list.

On Wednesday, January 21, 2019, the order to temporarily halt the processing of applications for immigrant visas from those 75 nations will become effective.

Prior to this decision, Trump extended the travel ban that was in place on January 1 and makes it illegal for citizens of all nations to enter the US.

Countries with full restrictions include Iran and Haiti, both of whom have qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

Senegal and the Ivory Coast, both of whom have qualified, are included in the group of nations with partial restrictions.

Fans from those four nations appear unlikely to be able to travel to the US for this summer’s tournament, according to the State Department, because a Fifa Pass appointment prevents people “who are otherwise not eligible” from being issued a visa.

According to the State Department’s guidance, the travel ban for the World Cup applies to “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, personnel playing a support role, and immediate relatives.”

However, it added that neither fans nor spectators are exempt from the exception. They can still apply for visas, but they “may not be eligible for issuance or admission to the United States.”