Canada has unveiled a temporary biometrics-waiver scheme designed to speed up visa issuance for players, coaches, officials and accredited media attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the country will co-host with the United States and Mexico. Published on 22 February, the policy applies from 25 November 2025 to 20 July 2026 and covers invitees from more than twenty European nations, including France.
Under normal rules, applicants for a Canadian Temporary Resident Visa must attend an in-person appointment to give fingerprints and a photo. That requirement has become a bottleneck for large sports delegations, especially in countries where visa-application centres are already stretched. Waiving biometrics is expected to cut processing times by up to two weeks and free scarce appointment slots for regular travellers.
For France, the decision is a logistical boon. The French Football Federation will move an estimated 350 players and staff across the Atlantic during the tournament, while national broadcasters such as TF1 and France Télévisions plan to send crews numbering in the hundreds. Removing the biometrics step means team managers can finalise travel only once group-stage venues are known this December, rather than locking in schedules months in advance to secure appointments.
![Canada drops biometrics for FIFA World Cup visas—French teams and media to benefit]()
For delegations and individuals now wondering how to navigate the slimmer yet still intricate paperwork, specialist services such as VisaHQ can shoulder much of the administrative load. Through its French portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/), the company offers end-to-end visa handling, document checks and real-time status updates, making it easier for teams, media crews and corporate travellers to capitalise on the biometrics waiver without missing critical deadlines.
French multinational sponsors—among them Orange and Renault—also stand to gain. Corporate hospitality programmes that hinge on short-notice travel for executives and high-value clients will no longer risk being derailed by biometric backlogs. Travel-management companies say the waiver allows them to keep premium seats on option until far closer to match days, improving inventory use.
Immigration lawyers caution that the exemption is narrow: applicants must hold an official FIFA invitation and still meet standard admissibility rules. Fans and ordinary tourists will continue to give biometrics, and Canada has not waived the Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) for visa-exempt French nationals arriving by air. Nonetheless, the policy signals Ottawa’s willingness to use immigration flexibilities to keep mega-events on schedule—a precedent some hope Paris will emulate when it hosts the 2030 Winter Games.
Under normal rules, applicants for a Canadian Temporary Resident Visa must attend an in-person appointment to give fingerprints and a photo. That requirement has become a bottleneck for large sports delegations, especially in countries where visa-application centres are already stretched. Waiving biometrics is expected to cut processing times by up to two weeks and free scarce appointment slots for regular travellers.
For France, the decision is a logistical boon. The French Football Federation will move an estimated 350 players and staff across the Atlantic during the tournament, while national broadcasters such as TF1 and France Télévisions plan to send crews numbering in the hundreds. Removing the biometrics step means team managers can finalise travel only once group-stage venues are known this December, rather than locking in schedules months in advance to secure appointments.
For delegations and individuals now wondering how to navigate the slimmer yet still intricate paperwork, specialist services such as VisaHQ can shoulder much of the administrative load. Through its French portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/), the company offers end-to-end visa handling, document checks and real-time status updates, making it easier for teams, media crews and corporate travellers to capitalise on the biometrics waiver without missing critical deadlines.
French multinational sponsors—among them Orange and Renault—also stand to gain. Corporate hospitality programmes that hinge on short-notice travel for executives and high-value clients will no longer risk being derailed by biometric backlogs. Travel-management companies say the waiver allows them to keep premium seats on option until far closer to match days, improving inventory use.
Immigration lawyers caution that the exemption is narrow: applicants must hold an official FIFA invitation and still meet standard admissibility rules. Fans and ordinary tourists will continue to give biometrics, and Canada has not waived the Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) for visa-exempt French nationals arriving by air. Nonetheless, the policy signals Ottawa’s willingness to use immigration flexibilities to keep mega-events on schedule—a precedent some hope Paris will emulate when it hosts the 2030 Winter Games.
