The Biden-era experiment of prioritizing visas for global sporting events is now being scaled up dramatically for North America’s first 48-team men’s FIFA World Cup.
On 17 November the White House announced a dedicated scheduling lane that will let anyone holding a valid match ticket book the next available non-immigrant visa interview slot—jumping ahead of the general queue that in some countries still stretches 200 days or more. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Department has already surged 400 additional consular officers to high-demand posts such as Brazil, Argentina and Nigeria, cutting average wait times below 60 days.
![U.S. to Fast-Track Visa Interviews for 2026 World Cup Ticket-Holders]()
Officials insist the fast-track will not dilute security. All applicants must still clear biometrics and watch-list vetting, but consular chiefs will be allowed to waive interviews for frequent U.S. travelers with clean records. FIFA, which expects 5–10 million foreign visitors between 11 June and 19 July 2026, will e-mail step-by-step instructions early next year.
The policy is also an economic play. The Commerce Department projects $30 billion in visitor spending and 200,000 temporary jobs tied to the tournament. Cities such as Kansas City and Atlanta have already earmarked funds for consular outreach events and pop-up enrollment centers for the U.S. CBP’s Mobile Passport Control program.
For corporate mobility managers the take-away is clear: employees and clients traveling on World Cup business—or simply attending matches—should secure tickets now to leverage priority interview slots. Companies with large Latin-American workforces are likely to benefit most, as several top sending countries are also World Cup hotbeds where visa lines have historically been longest.
On 17 November the White House announced a dedicated scheduling lane that will let anyone holding a valid match ticket book the next available non-immigrant visa interview slot—jumping ahead of the general queue that in some countries still stretches 200 days or more. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Department has already surged 400 additional consular officers to high-demand posts such as Brazil, Argentina and Nigeria, cutting average wait times below 60 days.
Officials insist the fast-track will not dilute security. All applicants must still clear biometrics and watch-list vetting, but consular chiefs will be allowed to waive interviews for frequent U.S. travelers with clean records. FIFA, which expects 5–10 million foreign visitors between 11 June and 19 July 2026, will e-mail step-by-step instructions early next year.
The policy is also an economic play. The Commerce Department projects $30 billion in visitor spending and 200,000 temporary jobs tied to the tournament. Cities such as Kansas City and Atlanta have already earmarked funds for consular outreach events and pop-up enrollment centers for the U.S. CBP’s Mobile Passport Control program.
For corporate mobility managers the take-away is clear: employees and clients traveling on World Cup business—or simply attending matches—should secure tickets now to leverage priority interview slots. Companies with large Latin-American workforces are likely to benefit most, as several top sending countries are also World Cup hotbeds where visa lines have historically been longest.
