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The United States’ 250th anniversary will coincide with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the majority of matches taking place in the United States beginning in June. President Donald Trump played a significant role in early preparations for the tournament, launching a White House task force to focus on all aspects of organizing the global event, with an emphasis on the safety of U.S. citizens and international visitors.
The president last month announced a new initiative to allow foreign visitors traveling to the United States to receive priority visa appointments. The “FIFA Pass,” as the initiative is called, is expected to launch early next year, but the State Department is already scrambling to accommodate the influx of travelers.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as (from left) Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Secretary of State Marco Rubio listen during a meeting with the White House Task Force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, November 17, 2025. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP)
Matt Pierce, Acting Principal Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Consular Affairs, spoke with PK Press Club Digital ahead of Friday’s drawing in Washington, D.C., to discuss the visa process and the State Department’s focus on welcoming international visitors while ensuring the Trump administration’s focus is on national security.
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“As the President mentioned, this will be the best World Cup, the most successful World Cup in history. And the State Department is helping by ensuring the availability of appointments for those who wish to apply for a visa to come to the United States for the World Cup, without sacrificing at all the fairness of our visa process and the protection of our homeland through the visa process.”
According to Pierce, the State Department is already working to meet the demand from travelers to the United States next year. More appointments were offered around the world and wait times for appointments were reduced to less than sixty days in 80% of the world’s regions. The sentiment echoes Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s remarks last month, in which he said the administration had sent more than 400 additional consular officers around the world.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department would suspend all visas for Afghan passports. (Getty Images)
“We have increased our resources to key positions to ensure that we have the capacity to manage these ticketed fans while maintaining this rigorous screening of visa applicants from a national security perspective,” Pierce noted.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES “FIFA PASS” VISA SYSTEM FOR MILLIONS OF WORLD CUP FANS COMING TO AMERICA IN 2026
Although much of the focus is on accommodating ticket holders, Pierce added that the primary concern is ensuring those visitors meet the criteria for entry into the United States.
“This is something we take very, very seriously, because the visa process is the gateway to the United States.”
“The State Department is working with our government partners involved in the visa process to ensure that we are looking at anyone who is applying for a visa and that they are visa-eligible people, that we want to have those people in our country,” he said. “So we’re confident in the systems and the tools that we have in place. This is a major priority of the Trump administration and we’ve really dedicated a lot of resources to making sure this process is secure.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, joined by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, FIFA Senior Advisor for FIFA Global Strategy and Governance and Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Illinois), delivers remarks during a meeting of the White House Task Force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Oval Office of the White House November 17, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
FIFA announced in October that one million tickets had already been sold since sales officially began earlier this month. Buyers from the United States, Canada and Mexico – the host countries of the tournament – exceeded the total purchases.
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The Department of State encourages travelers who need a visa to apply for one immediately.
“This is a really great opportunity under President Trump’s leadership to showcase American greatness to the world,” Pierce told PK Press Club Digital. “And I think it’s a great opportunity for people to come to the country on our historic anniversary for what will be the biggest World Cup in history. I hope the fans who come here will be able to see some of the sites across the country and really experience everything our country has to offer.”
