World Cup 2026 in the USA has increased visa risks for tourists: how FIFA PASS changes match trips

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Marta Skylar
Aviation News Editor
28.07.2026 04:53

World Cup 2026 in the USA has increased visa risks for tourists: how FIFA PASS changes match trips

The FIFA World Cup 2026 has already become not only the largest football event of the year, but also an important test for the tourism infrastructure of the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The main conclusion for travelers is simple: a match ticket, a hotel booking, and even access to a priority interview via FIFA PASS do not guarantee entry into the USA. Planning such a trip now requires treating it as a complex international itinerary, where visas, ESTA, transit, insurance, accommodation, and transport must be verified before paying for non-refundable bookings.

The topic became particularly relevant after the start of the tournament on June 11, 2026. The championship will last until July 19 and is being held for the first time in three countries: the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The format has been expanded to 48 teams and 104 matches, with most of the matches, including all matches after the round of 16, taking place in American cities. For the tourism market, this means millions of potential trips, high demand for flights, hotels, car rentals, transfers, and insurance. But for some fans, the main limitation turned out to be not the price of the ticket, but the right to enter.

As early as November 2025, FIFA, together with the US Department of State, announced the FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System, or FIFA PASS. Its logic is simple: ticket holders who purchased tickets directly through FIFA can gain access to priority appointment scheduling for a US tourist visa. This is intended to help those living in countries with long queues for consular interviews. At the same time, US and British government recommendations explicitly state: this is not a separate "World Cup visa" and not a simplified entry permit.

What exactly has changed for travelers

The most important change is that a trip to the World Cup 2026 has become an example of a journey where the sports ticket and tourist logistics can no longer be considered separately. If a fan flies only to Mexico or Canada, they need to check the rules of those countries. If the itinerary includes matches in the USA or transit through an American airport, US requirements become key: ESTA for citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries or a B-1/B-2 tourist visa for those who are not eligible for visa-free travel under the ESTA program.

FIFA PASS only helps with access to a priority interview date, if such an option is available in a specific country and if the ticket data is correctly linked to the application. After this, the applicant still goes through the standard process: fills out the DS-160, pays the fee, attends the interview, provides documents, and undergoes a check for compliance with US immigration law. The decision is made individually, and a priority appointment does not cancel the security screening, does not change the requirements for the applicant, and does not guarantee a positive result.

Separately, it is important that some current travel restrictions and enhanced checks may remain even for ticket holders. Immigration consultants who analyzed the new Department of State clarifications note: FIFA PASS does not allow most applicants to simply choose any embassy in a third country. Usually, one must apply in the country of citizenship or residence. This is especially important for fans who hoped to bypass the long queue by booking an appointment in a neighboring state.

Why this is important specifically for the tourism market

World Cup 2026 was intended to be a demonstration of North America's tourist appeal. FIFA estimated the scale of the tournament at over six million available tickets, and the economic effect for the USA at tens of billions of dollars in gross output and hundreds of thousands of jobs. For airlines, hotels, restaurants, rental companies, and urban transport, this is a huge seasonal driver. But it works fully only when international guests can predictably enter the country.

That is why visa delays, refusals, or uncertainty surrounding the rules have an effect not only on individual fans. They affect room bookings, package tour sales, demand for domestic flights between host cities, and even tourists' decisions on whether to combine matches with a broader trip across the USA. If a person is not sure they will receive entry permission, they are more cautious about buying expensive flights, avoid non-refundable fares, and postpone hotel payments until the last moment.

Industry media are already describing cases where visa or border issues affected not only fans, but also individual team representatives, federations, journalists, and support staff. At the same time, the official US position remains unchanged: each visa application is considered separately, and security and legal compliance take priority. For tourists, this means that the best strategy is not to look for informal workarounds, but to prepare documents as early and carefully as possible.

Which cities and airports are under the most pressure

In the USA, matches are hosted by Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle, and the San Francisco area. For passengers, this means increased pressure on the country's large international gateways. When planning flights, it is worth checking not only the ticket price, but also the time buffer between flights, the distance of the stadium from the city center, baggage rules, night arrivals, and the possibility of transport delays on match days.

For routes via the East Coast, it is useful to check information about New York JFK airport or Newark Liberty airport, as well as the online boards for JFK and EWR. If the trip is related to Florida, it is worth separately looking at flights via Miami airport and available hotels near MIA. For matches or transfers in the west of the country, the pages for LAX, SFO, and SEA will be appropriate, and for central cities - DFW, IAH, and MCI.

The British Foreign Office, in its advice for World Cup 2026, separately warns that popular tourist cities in the USA will be more crowded than usual. It also advises checking the official FIFA app, stadium entry rules, ticket requirements, fan zone restrictions, and transport routes. This is important not only for Britons: such logic applies to all international tourists planning a trip to matches or host cities during the same period.

What to check before buying tickets and hotels

The first step is to determine if a US visa is actually needed. Citizens of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program can travel with ESTA, but even ESTA is not an absolute guarantee of entry: the final decision is made at the border. Tourists who need a B-1/B-2 visa should allow time for the application, payment, interview, possible administrative check, and passport delivery. For trips in the summer of 2026, this is not a formality, but a central element of the plan.

The second step is to check if the ticket was purchased directly through FIFA and if the FIFA PASS option is available. If the ticket was purchased through an unofficial intermediary or resale, there may be problems not only with stadium entry, but also with confirming the right to a priority appointment. Official advice also reminds: screenshots or printed copies of tickets may not be accepted, and an official electronic ticket in the app may be required for entry.

The third step is not to book a complex itinerary without a buffer. If a traveler plans to watch matches in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, they need to check the rules of each country separately. There is no single permit that automatically covers all three states. Canadian official resources for fans also advise monitoring border queues, aviation tips, medical recommendations, ticket fraud risks, and travel registration if such a service is available to citizens of a specific country.

Practical tips for tourists

  • Do not buy non-refundable flights to the USA if the visa or ESTA is not yet confirmed, especially if there is little time left before the match.
  • Check visa rules not via blogs, but via official government pages of the USA, Canada, Mexico, and the recommendations of your country of citizenship.
  • If you need a US visa, do not consider FIFA PASS as an entry permit: it is only a tool for priority appointment scheduling for an interview.
  • Allow extra time for transfers at large airports and do not plan arrival on the match day without a significant buffer.
  • Book accommodation so that you have confirmation of your stay address: it may be requested during border control.
  • Check the terms of travel insurance, as medical expenses in the USA and Canada can be very high.
  • For fan zones, stadiums, and urban transport, rely on the official FIFA app and notifications from local authorities.

What this means for Ukraine and European travelers

For Ukrainian tourists, a trip to matches in the USA usually requires a tourist visa, so FIFA PASS may be useful only as a way to get faster access to an interview, if the program conditions are met. But it does not cancel the standard check, and does not replace documents regarding the purpose of the trip, financial capability, itinerary, and intention to return. For citizens of EU countries, the UK, Japan, Australia, and other participants of the Visa Waiver Program, the situation is different: many can fly with ESTA, but must separately check passport validity, compliance with program requirements, and the possession of a return ticket from the USA.

European travelers should also remember the difference between a direct trip to the USA and a route via Canada or Mexico. For example, a fan may fly to Toronto or Vancouver, then travel to the USA for a match or return via Mexico. Such a route may require several permits, different transit rules, and additional checks at the land or air border. It is in these details that mistakes most often occur, which ruin the trip after tickets have already been purchased.

Conclusion

World Cup 2026 shows a new reality of major sporting events: tourist demand can be record-breaking, but access to the country remains the deciding factor. FIFA PASS partially reduces the problem of interview queues, but does not turn a match ticket into a right of entry. For tourists, this means that a successful trip to the World Cup begins not with the choice of a seat in the stadium, but with the checking of documents, a realistic itinerary, insurance, accommodation booking, and a plan for movement between the city, airport, and arena.

For the travel market, this story is even broader. Airlines, hotels, tour operators, and host cities get a huge chance to earn from a global event, but also face the risk of postponed bookings and uncertainty due to visa rules. That is why the most reliable advice for travelers in June and July 2026 sounds pragmatic: check official requirements earlier than you pay for non-refundable expenses, and leave more time in the itinerary than seems necessary in a normal tourist trip.