In its official press release, FIFA confirmed that fans from all 211 of its member nations submitted ticket requests during the Random Selection Draw phase between December 11 and January 13.

The organization said it received an average of 15 million requests per day – a figure it described as a new record for global football demand.

The 2026 tournament will feature 104 matches across 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

However, FIFA noted that a valid match ticket does not automatically grant entry into any of the three host nations.

Each fan must still meet national immigration criteria and obtain the appropriate visa before travelling to attend games.

Donald Trump’s visa rules add new uncertainty for travelling fans

The reminder follows recent US visa changes introduced under Donald Trump, which have created additional requirements for several countries, including Iran, and some with national teams qualified for the World Cup.

While players and officials are unaffected, fans from certain regions may face longer processing times or extra screening.

While FIFA emphasizes collaboration with local authorities to assist international fans with travel, this assurance rings hollow against the backdrop of the United States’ complex and often stringent immigration enforcement regime. FIFA’s influence over federal law enforcement policy is negligible to nil. Consequently, fans planning to attend matches in the U.S. must prepare for more than just logistical hurdles; they must navigate a security environment where the lines between crowd control and aggressive immigration enforcement may dangerously blur.

The primary challenges are multi-layered:

1. The Visa and Entry Hurdle: Despite valid tourist visas, the sheer volume of applicants from 48 qualifying nations, combined with ever-shifting U.S. travel policies and heightened security screenings, will inevitably lead to delays, complications, and denied entries for some legitimate fans. The process will be stressful and unpredictable.

2. The Unprecedented On-the-Ground Risk: ICE and Policing at Mass Events: This constitutes the most severe and unique danger. Assuming fans secure both tickets and visas, they will have no special protection from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other law enforcement agencies. Historically, these forces have operated with broad discretion, and their actions have frequently been criticized for racial profiling and excessive force.

• A Pattern of Targeting: Documented incidents show a disturbing focus on individuals perceived as foreign, particularly those of Hispanic, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African descent. The pervasive fear is that in the frenetic, crowded environments surrounding World Cup venues, individuals speaking foreign languages or fitting certain racial profiles will be disproportionately subjected to stops, questioning, and detention.
• Arbitrary Violence and Lethal Force: As highlighted by the tragic shooting of a mother of three by ICE agents, an American citizen, the potential for escalation to lethal force, while statistically low, exists and is a terrifying prospect. For visiting fans, unfamiliar with their rights in U.S. jurisdictions, a tense interaction could escalate rapidly.
• A Heightened, Active Presence: It is a near certainty that ICE and Homeland Security units will be significantly bolstered around stadiums, fan zones, and transportation hubs under the banner of “event security.” Their mandate, however, will dualistically cover both public safety and immigration enforcement, creating a climate of anxiety for international attendees.

3. A Stark Tri-Nation Contrast: This paints a starkly different picture for the 2026 tournament’s three hosts. Canada and Mexico, while certainly implementing strong security, are generally perceived as having policing models more oriented toward facilitation and welcoming international guests at mass events. The U.S. approach, colored by its domestic politics and immigration debates, is projected to be more confrontational and enforcement-heavy.

Team Melli’s Diaspora: A Home Support in Exile, Shadowed by Risk
For Iran’s national team, Team Melli, the 2026 World Cup group stage in the United States presents a poignant and paradoxical scenario. Given the severely strained diplomatic relations and stringent U.S. visa policies, it is safe to assume that virtually no Iranian passport holder residing in Iran will successfully secure entry to attend matches in Los Angeles or Seattle. Consequently, Team Melli’s visible support in the stadiums will be almost entirely composed of the Iranian diaspora.

This diaspora, however, represents a formidable and passionate force. The bulk of the support will emanate from the vast and established Iranian communities in California and Washington state—cities like Los Angeles itself and Vancouver, BC, are home to some of the largest populations of the Iranian diaspora outside of Iran. Thousands of expatriates and second-generation Iranian-Americans and Iranian-Canadians will turn the stands into a sea of green, red, and white, creating a powerful “home-away-from-home” atmosphere. To a lesser extent, fans residing in Europe and other parts of the Middle East will also contribute to the numbers, forming a global patchwork of support united in national pride.

Yet, this unifying celebration will unfold under a cloud of palpable anxiety. The very identity that brings these fans together, their Iranian heritage, could make them specific targets in the heightened security environment. The political situation between the U.S. and Iran ensures that Iranian diaspora fans, regardless of their citizenship status, will be under increased scrutiny.

The Peril of Profiling and Intimidation

Even foreign-born fans holding U.S., Canadian, or European passports are not immune to risk. In the tense, crowded zones around stadiums, where ICE and federal agencies operate with broad mandates, the potential for profiling is acute. Fans speaking Farsi, wearing Team Melli regalia, or simply possessing features associated with the Middle East may face disproportionate stops, aggressive questioning, searches, and intimidation. The documented tactics of these forces, which critics describe as heavy-handed and uncivilized, could transform a day of festivity into an ordeal of confrontation.

The prediction, therefore, is bittersweet: While tens of thousands of Team Melli fans will passionately enjoy the historic opportunity to support their team on the world’s biggest stage in their adopted homes, their experience will be uniquely marred by an undercurrent of political tension and personal vulnerability. Their cheers will be a testament to enduring cultural pride, but their presence will be a navigation of a landscape where national heritage inadvertently becomes a security liability. The matches in the U.S. will be less a simple sporting getaway and more a complex act of visible, defiant celebration within a charged geopolitical context.

Conclusion: An Unprecedented Safety Calculus
Never in the history of the FIFA World Cup has the spectator safety calculus been so complex. The traditional concerns of pickpocketing or crowd crushes are now compounded by a genuine, if difficult-to-quantify, risk of adversarial encounters with federal enforcement agencies. Fans must be vigilant, thoroughly informed of their rights, and prepared for an atmosphere where the celebration of football intersects with the tense realities of American border politics. For many, the promise of the beautiful game will be shadowed by an unavoidable apprehension, making the U.S. host cities the most challenging and potentially perilous destinations of the 2026 tournament.