With Toronto and Vancouver slated to host 13 matches during the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup 26™, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has launched an outreach campaign urging fans, officials and media to submit visa and electronic travel authorisation (eTA) applications well in advance. In an Ottawa news release on December 8, Minister Lena Metlege Diab reminded prospective visitors that “a match ticket isn’t a ticket into Canada.”
IRCC expects several million additional arrivals between June 11 and July 19, 2026. To avoid a surge that could overwhelm processing capacity, the department has set up a dedicated World Cup web portal with step-by-step guidance on visitor visas, work permits for broadcast and logistics staff, and transit eTAs for supporters connecting through Canadian hubs en route to U.S. or Mexican venues.
![IRCC tells FIFA World Cup visitors: apply early for visas and eTAs]()
The agency is coordinating with U.S. and Mexican counterparts to streamline border formalities under the trilateral North American World Cup security framework. Airlines have been asked to promote the “apply early” message during booking flows, and Canadian missions abroad will run pop-up visa-app centres in fan-heavy countries such as Germany, Ghana and Australia.
For Canadian businesses—particularly hotels, restaurants and ground handlers—the notice offers clarity on documentation timelines, allowing them to finalise staffing plans and group reservations. However, mobility advisers warn that short-term workers hired for fan-zones and hospitality suites must secure employer-specific work permits, which carry different lead times than visitor visas.
IRCC says hosting duties could add nearly CA$2 billion to the economy and create 25,000 jobs. Early application campaigns are designed to ensure those gains are not jeopardised by last-minute backlogs at visa posts or airports.
IRCC expects several million additional arrivals between June 11 and July 19, 2026. To avoid a surge that could overwhelm processing capacity, the department has set up a dedicated World Cup web portal with step-by-step guidance on visitor visas, work permits for broadcast and logistics staff, and transit eTAs for supporters connecting through Canadian hubs en route to U.S. or Mexican venues.
The agency is coordinating with U.S. and Mexican counterparts to streamline border formalities under the trilateral North American World Cup security framework. Airlines have been asked to promote the “apply early” message during booking flows, and Canadian missions abroad will run pop-up visa-app centres in fan-heavy countries such as Germany, Ghana and Australia.
For Canadian businesses—particularly hotels, restaurants and ground handlers—the notice offers clarity on documentation timelines, allowing them to finalise staffing plans and group reservations. However, mobility advisers warn that short-term workers hired for fan-zones and hospitality suites must secure employer-specific work permits, which carry different lead times than visitor visas.
IRCC says hosting duties could add nearly CA$2 billion to the economy and create 25,000 jobs. Early application campaigns are designed to ensure those gains are not jeopardised by last-minute backlogs at visa posts or airports.
