The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing for an increase in the FIFA World Cup in 2026 with a focus on security

The USA’s 250th anniversary will coincide with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the majority of matches taking place in the USA starting in June. President Donald Trump has played a significant role in early preparations for the tournament, launching a White House task force to focus on all aspects of organizing the global event, with a central focus on security for US citizens and international visitors.

Last month, the president announced a new initiative aimed at allowing foreign visitors traveling to the United States to receive priority visa appointments. The “FIFA Pass,” as the initiative is being called, is expected to launch early next year, but the State Department is already working to accommodate the influx of travelers.

Matt Pierce, the acting principal deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, spoke with Pakinomist Digital ahead of Friday’s drawing in Washington, DC to discuss the visa process and the State Department’s focus on welcoming international visitors while ensuring the Trump administration’s emphasis on national security.

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“As the president has mentioned, this is going to be the best World Cup, the most successful World Cup in history. And the State Department is helping that by securing slots for those who want to apply for visas to come to the United States for the World Cup, while not at all sacrificing the fairness of our visa process and the protection of our homeland through the visa process.”

According to Pierce, the State Department is already working to meet the demand from travelers to the United States next year. More appointments have been made available globally and waiting times for appointments have been brought to less than sixty days in 80% of the world. That sentiment echoed remarks from Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month, when he said the administration has deployed more than 400 additional consular officials around the world.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department will suspend all Afghan passport visas. (Getty Images)

“We have pushed resources to the key posts to ensure we have the capacity to handle those ticket fans while still maintaining the strict vetting of visa applicants with the national security angle,” Pierce noted.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES ‘FIFA PASS’ VISA SYSTEM FOR MILLIONS OF WORLD CUP FANS HEADING TO AMERICA IN 2026

While much of the focus is on accommodating ticket holders, Pierce added that the primary concern is making sure those visitors meet the criteria to enter the U.S.

“This is something we take very, very seriously because the visa process, that’s the front door to the United States.”

“The State Department is working with our partners across government who are involved in the visa process to make sure that we process everyone who applies for visas and that these are people who are eligible for visas, that we want to have these people in our country,” he said. “And so we’re confident in our systems and tools that we’re putting in place. And this is a huge focus for the Trump administration, and we’ve really put a lot of resources into making sure that process is secure.”

United States President Donald Trump, along with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Carlos Cordeiro FIFA Senior Advisor on Global Strategy and Governance and Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), delivers remarks during a meeting of the White House Task Force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the White House, DC November 5, 2016 at the White House, Washington, Washington. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

FIFA announced in October that 1 million tickets had already been sold since the official start of sales began earlier this month. Buyers from the USA, Canada and Mexico – the host nations of the tournament – ​​topped the buying numbers.

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The Department of Foreign Affairs encourages travelers who need a visa to apply immediately.

“This is a really great opportunity under President Trump’s leadership to show American greatness to the world,” Pierce told Pakinomist Digital. “And I think this is a great opportunity for people to come to the country during our historic anniversary for what will be the biggest World Cup in history. I hope that the fans that come here will be able to see some of the sites across the country and really experience everything that our country has to offer.”