When the 2026 FIFA World Cup arrives in North America, it will be one of the largest travel moments in modern history. The expanded 48-team tournament will bring matches to cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico—and with them, millions of international fans booking flights, reserving hotel rooms, and building itineraries around match days.
For the US, that translates to a massive tourism surge: millions of visitors converging on 11 cities from New York and Miami to Los Angeles and Seattle. But for many would-be spectators, simply getting to the US could prove to be the biggest hurdle. In recent years, visa interview wait times in some World Cup host countries have stretched into the hundreds of days—longer than the countdown to kickoff itself.
On top of the bureaucratic bottlenecks of getting a tourist visa right now, the Trump administration’s recent immigration visa freeze, expanded travel ban, and increased visa fees have led many international visitors to reconsider travel to the US, with overseas visitation declining for the eighth straight month in December.
To help facilitate the US entry process for World Cup ticket holders, the US government has rolled out a new priority visa appointment system tied specifically to the World Cup.
The initiative—referred to as the FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System, or “FIFA Pass”—is designed to give World Cup ticket holders access to expedited visa interview appointments at select US embassies and consulates. Rather than competing with general tourists and business travelers for limited openings, World Cup attendees will be routed into a prioritized scheduling queue designed to guarantee interviews before the tournament begins.
Here’s everything travelers need to know about its roll out, including who is eligible and how to apply.
How to apply
The system is currently online and operational. To apply, you must have purchased your tickets directly through the official FIFA website. From there, log in to your ticket holder account and submit the “opt in form” for FIFA Pass, where you’ll be prompted to enter your full legal name and passport number. Once that is submitted, you can begin the visa application process on the US State Department website. In order to access the allotted appointments, the information you enter on the opt in form (such as your name) must match your visa application.
“Eligible fans will receive FIFA Pass access via ticket office notifications, enabling priority booking after submitting Form DS-160, paying the $185 fee, and selecting an embassy slot,” says Juan Carlos Rivera, an immigration attorney based in Miami. “It requires confirmed tickets for US matches, proof of post-event departure plans, and no disqualifying factors.”
Crucially, he added, “It secures an interview, not automatic approval.”
Holding a ticket (or a FIFA Pass) does not guarantee entry into the US. Travelers must meet all standard requirements and pass security vetting, and approval remains at the discretion of US consular officers.
Who is eligible?
Travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries—such as most of Western Europe, Japan, and Australia—do not need to apply for FIFA Pass. Those visitors typically only need an approved ESTA authorization and will not require an embassy interview.
“The FIFA Pass relevance is more for countries that aren’t eligible for a visa waiver and have a long wait for tourist visas,” says immigration lawyer Michelle Abeckjerr, the founder of Abeckjerr Immigration Law in Aventura, Florida.
In some countries today, wait times for a US visa interview can exceed 300 days, depending on demand and staffing. Some high-demand countries include Brazil, Argentina, India, and Mexico, one of the co-hosts of the World Cup. The next regular tourist visa appointment time in Guadalajara, Mexico, for example, is in 11.5 months.
