US World Cup 2026 Visa - ESTA, B1/B2 and FIFA PASS

The US is the main stage: 11 cities, 78 matches, the final

The 2026 World Cup runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with 48 teams playing 104 matches over 39 days. The United States carries the lion's share: 11 host cities staging 78 matches, including both semi-finals and the final. The opening match is in Mexico City on 11 June, but the tournament builds to its climax on US soil.

The final is at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just outside New York City, on 19 July 2026. The other US host cities span the country: Atlanta, Boston (Foxborough), Dallas (Arlington), Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles (Inglewood), Miami (Miami Gardens), Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area (Santa Clara), and Seattle. If you are flying in for a specific match, your point of entry and your visa requirements are driven by your nationality, not by which city you land in.

FIFA expects 5 to 10 million international visitors across the three host nations and more than 6 million tickets sold. That scale matters for visas: US consulates are bracing for a surge, and the route you take depends entirely on the passport you hold. There are two main doors into the United States, covered next. For a country-by-country breakdown, see our visa-by-nationality guide.

Two routes in: ESTA or a B1/B2 visa

How you enter the United States comes down to one question: is your country in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)? If yes, you apply online for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) and skip the embassy interview entirely. If no, you apply for a B1/B2 visitor visa, which involves a DS-160 form, a fee, and an in-person interview at a US embassy or consulate.

The Visa Waiver Program covers 42 countries, including most of Western Europe, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Chile and others. An ESTA costs USD 40.27, is valid for two years (or until your passport expires), and permits stays of up to 90 days. Everyone outside the VWP, which includes most of Africa, much of Asia, and several South American nations, needs the B1/B2 route. The table below summarises the difference.

Two cautions. First, even an approved ESTA or visa does not guarantee entry; it only allows you to travel to a US port of entry where CBP decides admission. Second, if you have certain travel history (for example, visits to specific countries) you may be ineligible for ESTA and have to apply for a B1/B2 visa instead, even if your passport is from a VWP country. Always check your eligibility before booking flights.

FIFA PASS: a priority interview, not a fast pass to entry

FIFA PASS is a system built specifically for the 2026 World Cup to help ticket holders who need a B1/B2 visa get an interview appointment faster. If you bought a match ticket directly from FIFA, you can opt in and be flagged for a priority consular interview slot. The US State Department has added more than 400 extra consular officers and says roughly 80% of the world can secure an appointment within 60 days.

Be precise about what FIFA PASS does and does not do. It moves you up the queue for an interview. That is the entire benefit. It does NOT guarantee your visa will be approved, it does NOT replace the interview or the DS-160, and critically it does NOT bypass the travel ban. A fan from a fully-banned country cannot use FIFA PASS to get around the ban, because the ban operates at the visa-issuance level, not the appointment level.

VWP travellers do not need FIFA PASS at all, because they use ESTA and never attend an interview. For everyone on the B1/B2 route who holds a FIFA ticket, opting in is sensible and free. For the full mechanics, who qualifies, and how to opt in, read FIFA PASS explained.

The critical distinction: the immigrant-visa freeze vs the travel ban

In January 2026 the United States made headlines with a 75-country immigrant-visa freeze, effective 21 January 2026. The word immigrant is the key. That freeze applies ONLY to immigrant visas - the green-card route used by people moving to the United States to live there permanently. It has nothing to do with tourism. It does NOT touch ESTA, it does NOT touch B1/B2 visitor visas, and it does NOT block World Cup fans coming to watch matches and then go home.

We are stating this plainly because most websites wrongly imply that the 75-country freeze stops fans from those countries attending. It does not. A tourist from a frozen country who needs a B1/B2 visa applies through the normal visitor channel, and the immigrant-visa freeze is simply irrelevant to that application. Our full breakdown of the freeze, who it really affects and why, is here: the 75-country freeze, explained.

Separately, and this is the policy fans actually need to worry about, there is the travel ban under Presidential Proclamation 10998. The travel ban DOES affect ordinary fans. It comes in two tiers: full bans, where nationals of the country cannot get a US visa at all, and partial restrictions, where only certain visa categories or conditions apply. Fully-banned countries include Iran and Haiti; partially-restricted countries include Cote d'Ivoire and Senegal.

Two more hard truths about the travel ban. First, a FIFA PASS appointment does not bypass it; priority for an interview is meaningless if the visa cannot be issued. Second, the limited exemptions that exist - for athletes, team officials, and their accredited entourage - do NOT extend to ordinary fans. If you are a supporter from a fully-banned country, there is no World Cup exception that lets you in. Always confirm your country's current status directly with the US State Department, because the lists are reviewed and can change.

One piece of good news that sits alongside the ban: the so-called visa bond requirement (a pilot that asked some applicants to post a refundable bond) is WAIVED for certain World Cup travellers. That removes one financial barrier for eligible fans, but it does nothing to lift the travel ban for banned nationalities. The waiver and the ban are, again, two separate things.

How to apply: step by step

Whether you take the ESTA or B1/B2 route, applying early is the single most important thing you can do. Consulates will be busy through 2026. Here is the order of operations for a B1/B2 applicant, with notes for ESTA travellers along the way.

1. Confirm your route: check whether your country is in the Visa Waiver Program. VWP nationals apply for ESTA online (USD 40.27); everyone else applies for a B1/B2 visitor visa.
2. Check the travel ban: confirm your nationality is not on the full or partial travel-ban list before spending money on flights or tickets.
3. Buy your match ticket from FIFA if you want to use FIFA PASS (B1/B2 applicants only).
4. Complete the form: ESTA travellers fill the online ESTA application; B1/B2 applicants complete the DS-160 online and pay the visa fee.
5. Opt in to FIFA PASS (B1/B2 ticket holders) to request a priority interview slot.
6. Book and attend your interview: schedule at your local US embassy or consulate, bring your document checklist, and answer honestly.
7. Wait for the decision, then travel: an approved visa or ESTA lets you fly to a US port of entry, where CBP makes the final admission decision.

Visa wait times by region

For B1/B2 applicants, the biggest variable is the wait for an interview appointment, which varies enormously by consulate. The State Department's surge of 400-plus officers and the FIFA PASS priority lane are designed to compress these waits, and officials say about 80% of the world can get an appointment within 60 days. Even so, apply as early as you possibly can. The figures below are indicative ranges for 2026 and change weekly - check your specific consulate's current wait time before assuming.

If your country sends a large contingent of fans, treat the appointment as the bottleneck and everything else as secondary. Fans from Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt and Morocco in particular should start the process the moment they have a ticket, and should opt into FIFA PASS for the priority slot.

Your document checklist

Bring more than you think you need. The interview and, later, the CBP officer both want to see that you are a genuine visitor with strong ties to home and a clear plan to leave. Missing documents are a common reason for delays and refusals. Assemble the following before your interview.

• A passport valid for at least six months beyond your intended stay (check your specific requirement)
• Your DS-160 confirmation page (B1/B2) or approved ESTA (VWP travellers)
• Your FIFA match ticket or purchase confirmation
• Proof of funds: bank statements showing you can cover the trip
• Accommodation details: hotel bookings or a host's address for each city
• Return or onward travel: flights showing you will leave the US
• Evidence of ties to home: employment letter, property, family, enrolment - anything showing you will return
• A clear itinerary linking your travel dates to specific matches

The theme running through this list is ties to home and intent to leave. A visitor visa and ESTA are both built on the assumption that you are coming temporarily. Anything that supports that story helps you; anything that suggests you might overstay hurts you. Keep digital and paper copies, and carry the key documents in your hand luggage for the CBP inspection on arrival.

The port-of-entry reality: CBP has the final word

This is the part fans underestimate. A visa or an approved ESTA is permission to travel to the United States and ask to be let in. It is not a guarantee of entry. When you land, a CBP officer inspects you at the port of entry and makes the final decision on admission, including how long you may stay. They can, and occasionally do, refuse entry to travellers who hold valid documents and valid match tickets.

Honest possibilities you should be aware of: you can be refused if the officer doubts your intent to leave, if your answers contradict your documents, if you cannot show funds or accommodation, or if a name-check or prior immigration issue raises a flag. A match ticket carries no weight against any of these; CBP is assessing you, not your fixture list. Be truthful, be consistent, and have your documents ready.

The good news is that the vast majority of genuine fans with their paperwork in order enter without trouble. The way to be one of them is preparation, not bravado. If you want to understand the specific things that trigger refusals at consulates and at the border, read our guide to common visa rejection reasons, and answer every CBP question simply and honestly.