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The United States’ 250th birthday will coincide with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with most matches taking place in the United States starting in June. President Donald Trump has played a major role in the early preparations for the tournament, launching a White House task force to focus on all aspects of organizing the global event, with a central focus on the safety of American citizens and international visitors.
The president last month announced a new initiative aimed at allowing foreign visitors 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 working to accommodate the influx of travelers.
US President Donald Trump speaks as (L-R) 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 on November 17, 2025. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP)
Matt Pierce, acting principal deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, spoke with Pak Gazette Digital ahead of Friday’s draw 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 emphasis on national security.
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“As the president has mentioned, this will be the best World Cup, the most successful World Cup in history. And the State Department is helping with that by ensuring appointment availability for those who want to apply for a visa to come to the United States for the World Cup without at all sacrificing 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 accommodate the demand for travelers to the US next year. More appointments have been made available globally and waiting times for appointments have been reduced to less than sixty days in 80% of the world. That sentiment echoed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments last month when he said the administration has sent more than 400 additional consular officials around the world.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department will suspend all Afghan passport visas. (Getty Images)
“We’ve increased resources to key positions to make sure we have the capacity to handle ticketed fans while also maintaining that rigorous vetting of visa applicants with that national security angle,” Pierce said.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES ‘FIFA PASS’ VISA SYSTEM FOR MILLIONS OF WORLD CUP FANS TRAVELING TO THE UNITED STATES IN 2026
While much of the focus is on accommodating ticket holders, Pierce added that the main concern is ensuring those visitors meet the criteria for entering the US.
“This is something we take very, very seriously because the visa process is the gateway to the United States.”
“The State Department works with our partners across the government involved in the visa process to ensure that we vet anyone who applies for a visa and that they are people who are eligible for visas, that we want to have these people in our country,” he said. “And so we trust the systems and tools that we put in place. And this is a big focus of the Trump administration and we’ve really dedicated a lot of resources to ensuring that that process is secure.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Carlos Cordeiro, FIFA Senior Advisor for Global Strategy and Governance, and Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), delivers remarks during a White House Task Force meeting on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Oval Office of the White House on November 17, 2025, in Washington, DC (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
FIFA announced in October that 1 million tickets had already been sold since sales officially began at the beginning of the month. Buyers from the US, Canada and Mexico (the tournament’s host countries) topped the purchasing totals.
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The State Department encourages travelers who need visas to apply for them immediately.
“This is a great opportunity under President Trump’s leadership to showcase American greatness to the world,” Pierce told Pak Gazette Digital. “And I think this is a great opportunity for people to come to the country during our milestone anniversary of what will be the biggest World Cup in history. I hope that the fans who come here can see some of the sites around the country and really experience everything our country has to offer.”
