The State Department says it will deploy additional staff to select U.S. embassies abroad, in anticipation of a surge in visa applications from soccer fans planning to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.
The department announced on Oct. 2 that it will deploy hundreds of consular officers to “designated countries” to handle the increased demand for visa interviews. The countries and number of staff have not yet been confirmed, pending the full qualification lineup for the 48-team tournament.
The World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is expected to draw an estimated 6.5 million visitors to the three countries. Individual match tickets officially went on sale on Wednesday, and 4.5 million people had already signed up for a lottery to secure the first chance to buy them….