Foreign Fans Get Priority US Visa Processing for Attending FIFA World Cup

US President Donald Trump declared on Monday that US embassies around the world will prioritise the visa application appointments of travellers holding tickets to the 2026 World Cup through a programme called the FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA Pass).

The announcement took place at a landmark event held at the White House, where Trump spoke with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in front of the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and the White House Task Force.

What is the FIFA Pass?

During the landmark event, the US Department of State opened the FIFA Pass for foreigners who plan to attend the FIFA World Cup 2026 events in any of the eleven host cities in the country. This allows all fans who have tickets for the games to get the opportunity to have a prioritised visa interview.

This development showed a major milestone in the promotion to the FIFA World Cup, highlighting the close partnership between the international football federation and the US government to deliver a monumental event for football fans worldwide.

FIFA Expresses Gratitude to the White House

On his Instagram account, Infantino welcomed the announcement from President Trump that will make fans around the world have a higher chance of attending the games in the US.

'America welcomes the World. We have always said that this will be the greatest and most inclusive FIFA World Cup in history – and the FIFA PASS service is a very concrete example of that,' Infantino wrote.

'I extend my sincere gratitude to the President of the United States Donald J. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Executive Director Andrew Giuliani and the White House Task Force for their incredible support. The United States is set to welcome fans from around the world on an unprecedented scale, and we are preparing to ensure that football unites the world when the tournament kicks off in North America next June,' the FIFA president added.

Secretary Rubio emphasised the need to apply for a US visa if the fan will come from another country, since the games are about to begin. 'The United States is offering prioritised appointments so FIFA World Cup fans can complete their visa interviews and show they qualify. The kick-off is coming up, so now is the time to apply. We're honoured to host the greatest and safest World Cup in history,' Rubio stated.

Visa Rules Still Exist

Applying for a US visa through the FIFA Pass does not guarantee that fans will automatically get approved.

'Your ticket is not a visa. It doesn't guarantee admission to the US,' Rubio stated as reported by The Guardian. 'It guarantees you an expedited appointment. You're still going to go through the same vetting. We're going to do the same vetting as anybody else would get. The only difference here is we're moving them up in the queue.'

To deal with the deluge of applications, Rubio shared that the state department deployed over 400 additional staff in consular officers worldwide. This measure helped slash the waiting time for a visa appointment significantly in around 80% of countries globally.

'In places, for example, like Brazil and Argentina, you would have [had] over a year to get an appointment. Now you can get [one] in less than two months,' Rubio added.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from 11 June to 19 July in the US, Mexico and Canada.