White House introduces FIFA Pass to expedite international FIFA fans’ visas to U.S.

The U.S. will prioritize visa appointments for fans attending the 2026 World Cup, which is expected to attract five to 10 million people from around the world, the White House FIFA task force announced Monday.

The international soccer tournament will take place next year in 11 host cities in the U.S. Ticket holders will be able to use the “FIFA Pass” system, which allows international ticket buyers to purchase through the FIFA portal and then get prioritized with the State Department, so that those appointments are going to be had before existing appointments, the task force said.

FIFA is the global governing body that runs the World Cup.

President Trump said he expects record ticket sales for the events in the U.S.

“You look at the numbers, nobody’s ever seen anything like the kind of numbers we’re doing. The early ticket sales are through the roof, and much of it is even sold out,” he said at a White House event with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Mr. Infantino hailed the new system.

“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 conditions, starting from getting their visa and then coming, of course, to the country to enjoy [the games],” he said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that additional consular offices around the world will be handling these appointments.

“The good news now is about 80% of the world, you can get an appointment within 60 days. It used to take, you know, half a year or longer,” Mr. Rubio said at the event. “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, do it as soon as possible, don’t wait until the last minute.”

He stressed that a World Cup ticket is not a visa.

“It doesn’t guarantee admission to the U.S. It guarantees you an expedited appointment,” he said. “You’re still going to go through the same vetting. We’re going to do the same vetting as anybody else would get.”

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the 11 host cities will receive $600 million worth of security grants to partner on screening and drone technologies.

The U.S. host cities are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.

Fans from each of the 16 host  cities — which includes two in Canada and three in Mexico — will be able to participate in a special lottery for the chance to win complimentary admission to the event, including a VIP experience.