The State Department will begin rolling out FIFA PASS for foreign soccer fans wishing to attend the World Cup in the US.
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EXCLUSIVE: The 2026 FIFA World Cup is less than five months away and the State Department is set to implement a system for ticket holders who need visas.
The State Department will launch the FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS), News Digital learned on Tuesday. The system will give World Cup ticket holders the opportunity to access priority visa appointments before the event begins on June 11.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino and President Donald Trump arrive on the red carpet before the 2026 FIFA World Cup final draw at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 5, 2025. (Brian Snyder/Reuters via Imagn Images)
Potential visa holders must be able to demonstrate that they qualify for a visa and plan to follow the laws of the United States, as well as leave the country once the tournament ends on July 19.
Scheduling the visa interview does not necessarily mean that a visa will be issued. Each applicant will undergo security checks and proper vetting. They will have to prove that they qualify for a visa.
The State Department will deploy 500 additional staff members to process applications.
President Donald Trump spoke about FIFA Pass in November. He said the State and Homeland Security Departments had been working “tirelessly” to “ensure that soccer fans around the world are properly vetted and can easily come to the United States next summer.”
President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino before the final draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 5, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters via Imagn Images)
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“I have directed my administration to do everything in its power to make the 2026 World Cup an unprecedented success. I believe it will be the biggest and we are setting records in ticket sales,” Trump said at the time.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the organization expected “between 5 and 10 million people to come to the United States from… all over the world to enjoy the World Cup.”
“With this FIFA Pass, we can ensure that those who buy a ticket and are legitimate football fans, or soccer fans… can come and attend the World Cup in the best conditions, starting with getting their visa and then coming, of course, to the country to enjoy,” Infantino said in the Oval Office.
Two people are reflected in the FIFA logo at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)
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Trump strongly encouraged World Cup ticket holders around the world to apply for their US visas “immediately.”
News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor at News Digital.