NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
EXCLUSIVE: The 2026 FIFA World Cup is less than five months away and the Foreign Office is set to roll out a system for ticket holders who need visas.
The State Department will launch the FIFA Priority Appointment Schedule System (FIFA PASS), Pakinomist Digital learned Tuesday. The system will allow World Cup ticket holders to access priority visa arrangements before the event begins on 11 June.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and President Donald Trump arrive on the red carpet ahead of the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 5, 2025. (Brian Snyder/Reuters via Imagn Images)
Prospective visa holders must be able to demonstrate that they are eligible to obtain a visa and plan to follow the laws of the United States and leave the country after the tournament ends on July 19.
Scheduling the visa interview does not necessarily mean that a visa will be issued. Each applicant will undergo security screening and proper assessment. They must prove that they are eligible for a visa.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will deploy an additional 500 employees to process applications.
President Donald Trump talked about FIFA Pass in November. He said the Department of State and Homeland Security had worked “tirelessly” to “ensure that soccer fans from around the world are properly vetted and able to easily come to the United States next summer.”
President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino ahead of the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 5, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters via Imagn Images)
MIKIE SHERRILL REMINDS ZOHRAN MAMDANI WHO IS ACTUALLY HOSTING 2026 WORLD CUP GAMES AFTER MAYOR-ELECT’S COMMENTS
“I have directed my administration to do everything in its power to make the 2026 World Cup an unprecedented success. I think it will be the biggest and we will set records in ticket sales,” Trump said at the time.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the organization expected “between 5 and 10 million people to come to America from… all over the world to enjoy the World Cup.”
“With this FIFA pass, we can ensure that those who buy a ticket who are legitimate football fans or soccer fans… they can come and participate in the World Cup under the best conditions – starting from getting their visa and then of course coming to the country to enjoy,” Infantino said in the Oval Office.
Two people are reflected in the FIFA logo at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Trump strongly urged World Cup ticket holders from around the world to apply for their US visas “immediately.”
