Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president visited the White House this week to announce an initiative with Donald Trump that will give priority to next year’s World Cup ticket holders in applying for US visas. This initiative is called “FIFA Pass”.
“FIFA Pass is a priority scheduling system,” said Infantino from the Oval Office. “So if you have a ticket to the World Cup, you can make a priority visa appointment. Because you said it at the first meeting, Mr. President, America welcomes the world.”
Despite strict travel restrictions that the U.S. government imposed during Trump’s second term, the FIFA chief estimated that between 5 and 10 million people from around the world were expected to arrive in the country. “With this FIFA Pass, we can make sure that those who buy a ticket and who are true football fans will be able to come to the World Cup in the best conditions, starting with obtaining a visa.”
“We will conduct the same vetting that anyone else would undergo,” said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also attended the news conference. “The only difference is that we move them up the line.”
In other words, having a World Cup ticket does not actually guarantee you a visa or reduce the fee you pay. It simply shortens the waiting time to talk to a consular officer. Rubio estimated that FIFA Pass holders could expect to wait six to eight weeks for an interview.
How does FIFA Pass work?
To access this privilege, you must first purchase a ticket through official channels for certain 2026 World Cup matches that will be played in the United States. The user must then go to the FIFA portal, which will indicate the next steps to take to proceed with the visa application.
To expedite these procedures in the face of anticipated increased demand for tourist visas, Rubio noted that the Department of State has deployed more than 400 additional consular officers around the world and said that 80% of consulates and embassies can arrange an appointment within 60 days.
A few minutes later at the same press conference, Trump made it clear that he was ready to carry out attacks on Mexico and Colombia in order to curb the drug trade and that the possibility of deploying troops to Venezuelan territory was not yet ruled out.
This story originally appeared on WIRED in Spanish and was translated from Spanish.