Just under half of the people who applied for permission to travel to Canada for the FIFA World Cup 2026 were turned away, with applicants from more than a dozen countries seeing every single request denied, according to figures released by the federal immigration department.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) received 16,985 applications between November 14, 2025 and March 31, 2026 from people in over 160 countries seeking temporary resident visas (TRVs) or electronic travel authorizations (eTAs) to attend matches in Toronto and Vancouver. Of those, only about 41 percent were approved a figure that has drawn scrutiny given Canada’s role as a co-host of one of the world’s most-watched sporting events.
The data paints a stark picture of who gets to attend and who doesn’t. Applicants from Western Europe and wealthy Pacific nations fared almost universally well. Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bolivia all had 100 percent of their applications greenlit. British citizens despite the UK’s departure from the European Union in 2020 saw a 94 percent approval rate.
The story was dramatically different for applicants from much of Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. A total of 27 countries, including Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Belarus, Uganda, and Liberia, had every single application rejected. Haiti saw a 94 percent refusal rate, while Pakistani and Kenyan applications were denied at 91 percent. Iran’s rejection rate sat at 90 percent, and 71 percent of Indian applications were turned down. China, notably, landed somewhere in the middle, with 61 percent of applications approved.
Ghana submitted more applications than any other country 1,725 in total yet only 11 percent were accepted, giving it one of the worst approval rates in the dataset. Colombia came in second by volume with 1,630 applications, though applicants there had far better luck, with 69 percent approved.
The IRCC said it is working to make travel to Canada as straightforward as possible “without compromising the safety and security of Canadians.” When asked about individual cases, the department noted that officers retain the authority to deny entry if they believe a person could pose a security risk.
That policy drew attention after Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey currently facing rape charges in the United Kingdom, which he denies was refused entry ahead of his team’s opening game.
Officials were careful to note that the visa figures don’t capture the full picture of expected attendance. Many travellers already hold valid Canadian travel documents, which can remain active for up to a decade, meaning they wouldn’t need to reapply. The IRCC also pointed out that applicants were not required to indicate the World Cup as the purpose of their trip, so the dataset only reflects those who voluntarily flagged it.
American visitors aren’t included at all, as U.S. citizens need neither a TRV nor an eTA to enter Canada.
Canada is hosting 13 of the tournament’s 104 matches across Toronto and Vancouver, with the remainder split between the United States and Mexico. The financial commitment is substantial Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Office projected in May that the country’s hosting costs would top $1 billion, with roughly $473 million coming from federal coffers and another $593 million from provincial and municipal sources.
Whether the country’s visa policies will dampen attendance or international enthusiasm for the Canadian legs of the tournament remains to be seen.
