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The 250th anniversary of the United States will coincide with 2026 FIFA World Cup, During which, starting in June, most matches will take place in the United States. President Donald Trump played a significant role in early preparations for the tournament, creating a White House task force that will focus on all aspects of organizing the global event, with a particular focus on the safety of U.S. citizens and foreign visitors.
Last month, the president announced a new initiative to ensure foreign visitors to the United States can receive priority visas. “FIFA Pass”, as the initiative is called, is expected to launch early next year, but State Department is already working to accommodate the influx of travelers.
US 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 2026 FIFA World Cup task force in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, November 17, 2025. (BRENDAN SMILOWSKI/AFP)
Matt Pierce, acting principal deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, spoke with Fox News Digital ahead of Friday's draw in Washington, D.C. to discuss visa process and the State Department's focus on welcoming foreign visitors, as well as ensuring the Trump administration's emphasis on national security.
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“As the president noted, this will be the best world championship, the most successful world championship in history. And the State Department is helping make that happen by making appointments available to those who want 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.”
The State Department is already working to meet demand from U.S. travelers next year, Pierce said. More appointments are now available around the world, and wait times for appointments have dropped to less than sixty days in 80% of the world's countries. The sentiment echoes remarks made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month, when he said the administration had deployed more than 400 additional consular officers around the world.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department will cancel all Afghan passport visas. (Getty Images)
“We have increased resources in key positions to ensure we have the capacity to deal with fans who have tickets, while maintaining strict national security vetting of visa applicants,” Pearce said.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES 'FIFA PASS' VISA SYSTEM FOR MILLIONS OF WORLD CUP FANS TRAPPING TO AMERICA IN 2026
While the focus is on accommodating ticket holders, Pierce added that the primary concern is ensuring those visitors meet the criteria to enter the United States.
“We take this very, very seriously because the visa process is the front door to the United States.”
“The State Department is working with our partners in government involved in the visa process to ensure that we screen everyone who applies for a visa and that these are people who are eligible to receive a visa and that we want these people to be in our country,” he said. “And so we have confidence in our systems and the tools that we've put in place. And that's a major focus of the Trump administration, and we've really dedicated a lot of resources to ensuring the security of that process.”
US President Donald Trump, joined by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, FIFA Senior Advisor for Global Strategy and Governance Carlos Cordeiro and Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL), speak during a meeting of the White House 2026 World Cup Task Force in the Oval Office of the White House on November 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Vin McNamee/Getty Images)
In October, FIFA announced that 1 million tickets had already been sold since official sales began at the beginning of the month. Buyers from the USA, Canada and Mexico – the host countries of the tournament – exceeded the total number of purchases.
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The State Department urges travelers who need visas to apply immediately.
“This is truly a great opportunity under the leadership of President Trump to demonstrate American greatness to the world,” Pierce told Fox News Digital. “And I think this is a great opportunity for people to come to the country during our historical anniversary for what would become the greatest World Cup in history. I hope that fans who come here will be able to see some of the sights around the country and really experience all that our country has to offer.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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