Travel industry professionals at the US Travel Association have raised visa wait times as an issue that can impact millions of soccer fans who want to attend the FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
American authorities have more than two years left to work on the matter; otherwise, fans risk not attending the event, which is scheduled for 2026, due to the already long waiting time for a US visitor visa, VisaGuide.World reports.
The World Cup is maybe 800 days away. With Colombia, that’s a real concern because right now, the average wait time for that particular market is around 725 days.
Wait Times Are the Longest in Colombia, India & Mexico Application Centres
According to Julie Stufft, the deputy assistant secretary for visa services, wait times lasting more than hundreds of days for a first-time visitor visa will continue in Colombia, India, and Mexico throughout 2024.
On the other hand, US Travel believes that first-time visa applicants coming from the main source markets have to wait more than 400 days on average, while the State Department is dedicated to working on the issue, as Skift reports.
As Travel Oregon Strategist Kate Baumgartner points out, the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill is believed to be a factor that could accelerate the process, which should be passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the President by May 8.
Things can get quiet in Washington D.C. for the second half of the year and a general election year. The urgency of some of those policy items, like the reauthorization of the FAA, may be even more urgent in the spring and summer.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Expected to Boost North American Tourism
A total of 48 teams across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States are expected to participate in the next FIFA World Cup, which is a major tourism event for sports lovers.
While some of the cities that will host the event include Dallas, Atlanta, New York, and more, the World Cup will generate more revenues from tourism due to its capacity to accommodate attendees.
The New York New Jersey Stadium, which in 2016 hosted the Copa America Centenario final, has the capacity to accommodate some 82,500 spectators. In addition, Estadio Azteca in Mexico will host the opening matches, becoming the first stadium to host three World Cup opening matches.