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Soccer fans who purchase tickets for next year’s Fifa World Cup in the United States will have the opportunity to jump the line for visa interviews at American embassies around the world, President Donald Trump announced Monday.
Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Fifa president Gianni Infantino, Trump said his administration is rolling out what he called the Fifa Prioritized Appointment Scheduling System — the “Fifa pass” — to allow World Cup ticket holders to sign up for a “prioritized interview.”
He also said the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security were working “tirelessly” together to “ensure that soccer fans from all around the world are properly vetted and able to come to the United States next summer easily.”
“I’ve directed my administration to do everything within their power to make the 2026 World Cup an unprecedented success. I think it’s going to be the greatest. And we are setting records on ticket sales,” Trump said.
Infantino, who has become a frequent presence in the Trump White House and has cultivated a close relationship with the president as next year’s World Cup approaches, told reporters that Fifa expects “between 5 and 10 million people coming to America from all over the world to enjoy the World Cup.”
U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio meet with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and his advisor Carlos Cordeiro in the White House earlier in November (Reuters)
“With this Fifa pass, we can make sure that those who buy a ticket that are legitimate football fans or soccer fans, they can come and attend the World Cup in the best condition, starting from getting their visa and then coming in the country to enjoy,” he said.
Infantino added that 6 billion people are expected to watch next year’s World Cup across the globe, with 1 billion expected to watch the World Cup draw that will be held on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
After the Fifa boss had finished his impromptu remarks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that his department has deployed “over 400 additional consular officers” to embassies worldwide to handle World Cup-related visa requests, effectively doubling the number of officers in “certain countries.”
“The good news now is about 80 percent of the world you can get an appointment within 60 days. It used to take, you know, half a year or longer,” Rubio said.
“So our advice to everybody is, if you have a ticket for any of the games, you need to apply. If you haven’t done so as soon as possible, don’t wait till the last minute. Your ticket is not a visa. It doesn’t guarantee admission to the US. It guarantees you an expedited appointment.”
Rubio added that World Cup ticket holders making use of the “Fifa pass” would undergo “the same vetting as anybody else would get.”
“The only difference here is we’re moving them up in the queue. We’re moving them up faster. But my advice to everyone that’s watching around the world is, if you intend to come to the games, you have to have a ticket. You need to apply. Apply as soon as possible,” he said.
