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The U.S. Department of State says the temporary pause affecting immigrant visa applicants from 75 countries ended on August 21, 2026. It did not apply to tourist visas. A separate U.S. policy still imposes full or partial visa and entry restrictions on nationals of 39 countries and people traveling on certain Palestinian Authority-issued or endorsed documents. Neither measure is the same as FIFA’s World Cup ticket-holder visa appointment program, and a match ticket does not guarantee admission to a host country.
What happened to the 75-country visa pause?
The State Department says it paused immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries starting January 21, 2026. Following a court order in CLINIC et al. v. Rubio, et al., that pause ended on August 21, 2026, according to the department’s immigrant visa processing update, updated August 28, 2026.
The distinction matters for World Cup fans: the State Department says the pause applied to immigrant visa applicants, not tourist visas. It was not a general prohibition on visitors from those 75 countries, and it is no longer in effect. A fan’s ability to travel still depends on the rules that apply to their nationality, documents, itinerary, and circumstances.
How the separate 39-country restrictions differ
Presidential Proclamation 10998 took effect January 1, 2026. In separate guidance, the State Department describes full restrictions for nationals of 19 countries and partial restrictions for nationals of 19 more, plus a partial restriction for Turkmenistan. The department summarizes the proclamation as covering 39 countries in total, as well as certain people applying with Palestinian Authority-issued or endorsed travel documents. These restrictions are distinct from the ended 75-country immigrant visa pause.
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| Policy | Who and what it covers | Entry restrictions? | Timing and status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary immigrant visa pause | Nationals of 75 countries applying for immigrant visas | The State Department says tourist visas were not affected by this pause. | Began January 21, 2026; ended August 21, 2026, following a court order. |
| Presidential Proclamation 10998 | Nationals of 39 countries under full or partial restrictions, and applicants using specified Palestinian Authority-issued or endorsed travel documents | Yes. The proclamation includes full or partial suspensions of visa issuance and entry, subject to its terms and exceptions. | Took effect January 1, 2026. The State Department guidance cited here does not establish that it has ended. |
The State Department says people subject to Proclamation 10998 may apply for a visa and attend an interview but may still be ineligible for visa issuance or admission. It also says people who had valid visas on the proclamation’s effective date were not subject to it, and visas issued before that date were not revoked under the proclamation. The agency’s guidance on suspension of visa issuance describes the specific scope and exceptions; travelers should check it rather than infer eligibility from the 75-country figure.
What FIFA PASS does—and does not do
FIFA PASS is a voluntary opt-in process for World Cup ticket holders traveling to the United States. FIFA says it provides access to prioritized visa interview appointments and is particularly useful for fans in locations with longer appointment waits. It does not grant a visa, waive visa requirements, guarantee approval, or guarantee admission at the border. See FIFA’s announcement that the FIFA PASS application process is open for the program details.
Appointment priority can help with scheduling, but it is not a shortcut around the visa decision. A sporting-event exception should not be assumed to cover spectators: the Associated Press reported that an exception for sporting-event participants did not automatically extend to foreign fans, media, or corporate sponsors. For an individual traveler, current government guidance—not a tournament ticket or a general description of an exception—determines what applies.
Does a World Cup ticket guarantee entry?
No. FIFA’s fan guidance says a ticket does not guarantee admission to Canada, Mexico, or the United States. Each country applies its own entry requirements, so travelers should check the official rules for their nationality and planned destinations, including any transit stops.
The 2026 tournament is a 48-team event across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, according to FIFA’s tournament overview. FIFA’s PASS announcement identifies 11 U.S. host cities staging 78 matches. A multi-country itinerary may involve separate entry rules in each country; permission to enter one host country does not establish permission to enter another.
FIFA says international visitors need a physical passport at matches in the United States and Canada. Keep the passport and any travel documents secure and accessible; a document wallet may help organize them, but it has no bearing on immigration eligibility or admission.
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What FIFA has said about welcoming fans
On August 31, 2025, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, “Everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico and the United States for the FIFA World Cup next year.” In the same FIFA report, he acknowledged that travelers still had a visa process to complete and said FIFA was working with host governments on it. FIFA also reported that fans had come to the United States from 164 different countries for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup; that was a report about that event, not a forecast of visa approvals for the 2026 World Cup. The comments appear in FIFA’s August 31, 2025 statement.
The available FIFA statement does not establish that the organization formally rejected a specific World Cup travel boycott as “false.” Infantino criticized people spreading “false rumours” in a July 2026 message, but that language alone does not show he was responding to a defined boycott. His welcome message is FIFA’s position; it does not supersede national visa or border decisions.
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How fans can prepare before paying for travel
- Check each destination’s official entry rules. Identify the requirements for your nationality, travel documents, and itinerary in the United States, Canada, and Mexico as applicable.
- Check which U.S. policy applies. Do not treat the ended 75-country immigrant visa pause as a current tourist-visa ban. Separately review the State Department’s Proclamation 10998 guidance if your nationality or travel document may fall within its scope.
- Allow time for any required visa process. FIFA PASS can prioritize an interview appointment for eligible U.S.-bound ticket holders who opt in; it does not ensure an interview outcome or admission.
- Keep documents and contingencies in order. FIFA’s guidance calls for a physical passport at matches in the United States and Canada. Amnesty International USA and partner organizations urged visitors in an April 23, 2026 advisory to exercise caution and make an emergency contingency plan. That is an advocacy organization’s safety advisory, not an official determination of visa eligibility.
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