The 2026 World Cup is expected to draw millions of foreign visitors. Will U.S. authorities let them in?

The Men’s World Cup is coming to the U.S., Mexico and Canada, and it could give the U.S. a $30 billion economic boost, according to soccer’s governing body FIFA.

From mid-June to mid-July, 48 teams will play 104 matches in 16 cities: Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey, Monterrey, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Vancouver and Toronto.

The World Cup will draw six to seven million ticket-buyers, with as many of half of those expected to be international visitors rooting for their nations’ teams.

President Trump has said the World Cup is a “a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase the beauty and the greatness of America. And we can’t wait to welcome soccer fans from all over the globe.”

Meanwhile, since taking office in early 2025, the Trump administration has stepped up vetting of all foreign visitors to the U.S., said State Department deputy spokesperson Mignon Houston. “This was a promise made by this administration,” said Houston, “really taking every visa decision as a national security decision.”

Millions of World Cup ticket-holders will soon be applying for tourist visas at U.S. consulates around the world, and FIFA’s website cautions: “A match ticket does not guarantee admission to a host country, and fans should visit each host country’s government website today for entry requirements for Canada, Mexico and the United States. Given the processing times involved, FIFA recommends submitting the visa application as early as possible.”

And, for those traveling to the U.S., the State Department launched the FIFA PASS, or Priority Appointment Scheduling System, on Jan. 20, 2026.

Houston explained: “It was a commitment by this administration to prioritize those who have FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets, ensuring that those who have purchased a ticket, who have made a financial commitment to attend the games, will be able to receive an appointment in time to travel to the United States and attend those games.”

Houston said the State Department has added 500 extra consular officers worldwide to vet FIFA PASS applicants, who will have appointments scheduled no later than the World Cup kick-off on June 11th. But that doesn’t guarantee they’ll be issued a tourist visa. (The FIFA PASS FAQ page reads: “Scheduling an interview appointment via FIFA PASS does not guarantee the visa will be issued. Like all visa applicants, ticket holders must undergo thorough screening and must demonstrate they qualify for a visa.”)

And even if foreign ticket-holders are granted a visa, it doesn’t guarantee they’ll be permitted to enter the country. U.S. immigration officials plan to start vetting the social media histories of foreign visitors soon, which critics of the proposal warn could discourage some from coming to the United States for the World Cup.

The increased scrutiny would include visitors from visa-waiver countries generally considered close U.S. allies, explained Edward Alden at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“That’s a lot of the Europeans, and there’s a real concern that could discourage people who normally travel pretty easily to the United States,” he said. “News reports people are getting across the world about the deportation campaigns here in the United States have a lot of folks on edge. Navigating the State Department-Homeland Security bureaucracy to get into the country is not at all straightforward, and I think it’s likely to discourage a lot of fans. I don’t expect the turnout to be as robust as the organizers are hoping.”

Meanwhile, four countries in the World Cup face restrictions or an outright ban on the issuance of U.S. tourist visas to their citizens. So visiting will be nearly impossible for national fans of Haiti, Senegal, Cote D’Ivoire, and Iran. (Athletes and others associated with national teams, including immediate family members, will be allowed entry to the U.S. for the World Cup, according to the State Department.)

Beverly Hills Mayor Sharona Nazarian is an outspoken critic of the Iranian regime, and a big fan of Iran’s World Cup team.

“For many, the team represents the people, and not the regime,” said Nazarian. “Seeing Iran play in the U.S. brings pride, and also pain and hope and protest all at the same time.”

Iran plays its first two matches — against New Zealand and Belgium — in Los Angeles, home to the country’s largest Iranian-American community.

Nazarian said the ban on Iranian fans coming from abroad is complicated: “Because on one hand, as elected representatives, the job is to keep the country and the community safe. And there are people who would pose a threat. However, I know that it’s going to be painful for some Iranian-Americans, because they would want to celebrate, to have family and friends be present.”

Haitian-American George Craan owns Little Haiti International, on the outskirts of Boston. His restaurant will host watch parties for Haiti’s team, and he’s excited about the upcoming World Cup.

“It’s monumental, it’s good to have some light shining on a country that was in the dark,” Craan said.

And he doesn’t think fellow Haitians and Haitian-Americans will be discouraged — by immigration restrictions or the ICE crackdown — from trying to buying tickets and attend matches (including the team’s opener against Scotland on June 13 in Boston).

“Us even making it to the World Cup is so big, we’re not going to let something like that affect the energy that we know that we have,” he said. “We really believe in our team, in our people.”

All of the tightening of U.S. immigration rules and border procedures has Smith College sports economist Andrew Zimbalist thinking FIFA’s predicted $30 billion economic payoff for the U.S. and host cities won’t pan out as advertised.

“There are certain countries that won’t be able to send as many fans and visitors — not just the countries which are on the blacklist, but from Europe and Canada and elsewhere,” said Zimbalist. “Many of the non-elite matches will have much smaller attendance than they would otherwise have had.”

And Edward Alden at the Council on Foreign Relations pointed out, there are likely to be fewer foreign soccer fans without tickets, willing to attempt the visa-application and border-entry process to get to the U.S. for the World Cup.

“You don’t qualify for any of the expedited procedures,” said Alden. “If you don’t have a ticket, that’s going to be a red flag for the consular officer to say: ‘You’re not really planning to go to the World Cup, right? You’re planning to come to the United States to stay or do something else that we don’t want you to do.”

All this will land particularly hard on soccer fans from African and South American countries with teams in the World Cup, predicts Wharton School sports economist Kenneth Shropshire.

“People come to be part of the festivities of the ‘beautiful game.’” he said. “So how are we going to treat the Black and brown people of the world, that are simply fans coming to the United States to enjoy the World Cup?”

He said with the immigration bans now in place, and ICE raids across the country, he’s not hopeful they’ll show up in large numbers.

Additional research by Rachel Kahn. Map graphic by Richard Perrins.

CORRECTION (Jan. 28, 2026): An earlier version of this story misstated the number of countries whose citizens will not be able to obtain visas to attend World Cup events in the U.S.