“We don’t know (why it was denied), we are clutching in the dark, but we hope the matter will be resolved (soon). All of the players are (on the flight) and 99 percent of the technical staff.”
Meanwhile, Swiss star Breel Embolo hit a last-minute ESTA snag over past legal issues. Journalists, especially Iranian and African, report widespread denials or single-entry visas that prevent following teams across host nations.
FIFA insists it has no control over host-country immigration, but critics say the organisation has been too passive while its own event is undermined.
Are players, officials and accredited personnel exempt?
Officially, the answer is largely yes, but with important caveats.
US policy includes carve-outs for World Cup participants. Presidential proclamations suspending or restricting entry from certain countries (up to 39 nations) exempt athletes, coaches, necessary support staff, and immediate relatives for major sporting events like the World Cup.
Referees and technical officials may also qualify for B-1 visas or ESTA (electronic travel authorisation under a visa waiver programme) in some cases.
However, implementation is inconsistent.
Journalists and broader accredited media frequently face visa denials or restrictive single-entry visas, limiting coverage across the three host countries.
Fans, extended family, sponsors and non-essential personnel receive no special protections and the US Department of State states applications are adjudicated case-by-case with rigorous vetting, while working with FIFA, DHS, and the White House.
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Fans bear the brunt
No broad exemptions exist for supporters.
Travel bans or severe restrictions hit fans from multiple participating nations like Iran, Haiti, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and others. High rejection rates, multi-thousand-dollar visa bonds (partially waived for some ticket-holders), months-long waits, and aggressive border enforcement are keeping people away.
Moroccan, Ghanaian, Iraqi, and other supporter groups report dozens or hundreds of denials.
Even with the FIFA PASS priority system, a ticket is not a visa.
Many fans simply aren’t applying, deterred by costs, humiliation at embassies, or fear of ICE encounters near stadiums.
The result: emptier stands in US venues, lost tourism revenue, and a bitter taste for global football supporters who feel explicitly unwelcome.
Health-related restrictions, such as CDC measures for Ebola-affected nations like the Democratic Republic of Congo, add further layers like isolation requirements.
US hotel bookings lag ahead of 2026 World Cup
Meanwhile, US hotels are underperforming compared with those in Canada and Mexico, despite the US hosting the majority of matches, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Hotel reservations in Canada and Mexico are surpassing those in nearly all US host cities ahead of FIFA’s premier tournament.
According to CoStar, Vancouver and Guadalajara lead in hotel occupancy, at 48 percent. Toronto, Mexico City and Monterrey have also exceeded 40 percent occupancy, while San Francisco is the only US host city to reach that level at 44 percent.
Meanwhile, attending matches in the US has become increasingly expensive. Ticket prices for this year’s World Cup have climbed to record levels, with some resale tickets for the final already fetching more than $20,000 each, according to TicketData. Travel expenses have also risen sharply.
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