Skift Take

The U.S. better get the visa wait time issue and others resolved before the 2026 FIFA World Cup – a massive tourism event.

Dawit Habtemariam

Millions of FIFA World Cup fans won’t be able to attend the tournament in the U.S. if they can't get a visitor visa. That was one issue raised this week by hundreds of travel industry professionals at the U.S. Travel Association’s annual Destination Capitol Hill conference.

“The World Cup is maybe 800 days away,” said Megan Ryburn, Louisiana Travel Association’s director of external affairs. “With Colombia, that's a real concern because right now the average wait time for that particular market is around 725 days.”

The U.S. is co-hosting the FIF