Between June 11 and July 19, 2026, Canada can be internet hosting 13 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in Toronto and Vancouver.
Whether or not you’re planning to cheer your group on on the FIFA World Cup 2026 or attend as a volunteer or employee, it’s finest to examine early on whether or not you want authorization to enter Canada.
Non-citizens of Canada could require a customer visa or digital journey authorization (eTA) in addition to a piece allow to enter and attend the FIFA World Cup. What you require and the time wanted to achieve it rely in your nationality, how you intend to journey to Canada (by air, land, or water), and your objective of journey.
To assist facilitate the method, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has created a devoted webpage for overseas nationals seeking to go to or work in Canada quickly for the occasion.
Right here’s every little thing you might want to know:
Attending the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada as a fan: what guests must know
If you’re travelling to Canada as a fan, you might want a customer visa (often known as a brief resident visa) or an eTA to journey to Canada.
What you require will depend on your citizenship and your technique of journey to Canada (by land, air or sea).
A customer visa is an official doc stamped in a traveller’s passport that permits overseas nationals from visa-required international locations to journey to Canada for a brief keep.
An eTA is an digital entry requirement for visa-exempt overseas nationals travelling to Canada by air, digitally linked to the traveller’s passport.
It typically takes longer for a customer visa utility to be processed, in comparison with an eTA—weeks or months, in comparison with minutes or days. In both case, IRCC recommends making use of early to make sure you get your authorization earlier than the occasion.
In case you’re a US citizen or inexperienced card holder, or a French nationwide residing in and arriving instantly from St. Pierre and Miquelon, you possibly can enter Canada with no customer visa or eTA—you simply must have correct documentation, similar to a legitimate passport (US residents should additionally present a legitimate inexperienced card or equal proof of standing).
Notice: A FIFA match ticket shouldn’t be required to use for a customer visa or an eTA, and holding a ticket doesn’t assure approval of an utility.
Indicating FIFA journey in an utility
Candidates travelling to Canada particularly to attend the FIFA World Cup 2026 are inspired to notice the data under of their utility.
eTA candidates can embrace “FIFA World Cup 26” as an extra element within the “Background Questions” part.
Customer visa candidates can embrace the identical wording within the “Inform us extra about what you’ll do in Canada” part.
This info is collected for monitoring functions solely and doesn’t have an effect on final result of the appliance. In different phrases, it doesn’t present any type of precedence processing or exemption from commonplace entry necessities).
Working or volunteering on the FIFA World Cup 2026?
There are some teams which can be exempt from requiring a work allow to enter Canada.
This consists of
- Gamers and match workers: This encompasses FIFA gamers, group personnel, referees, and match workers.
- Media and broadcast personnel protecting the occasion: This encompasses any media or broadcast workers who’ve been invited to work on the FIFA World Cup.
- FIFA-invited volunteers: This encompasses volunteers who’ve been invited by FIFA to volunteer at a FIFA-organized occasion. You should have obtained info instantly from FIFA.
- FIFA-invited staff: This consists of anybody who has been invited by FIFA to work at an official FIFA-organized occasion. You should have obtained info instantly from FIFA.Whereas these teams could also be exempt from a piece allow, a customer visa or an eTA should be required to enter Canada, relying on citizenship and technique of journey. It’s finest to examine prematurely.
These making use of are inspired to flag that they’re coming for the FIFA World Cup by following the directions of their invitation letter.
Employees who should want a piece allow
Those that haven’t been invited by FIFA to work at an official FIFA-organized occasion might have to use for a piece allow. Whether or not you want one relies on the kind of work being completed on the occasion.
Such staff, even when they don’t require a piece allow, should be required to acquire a customer visa or an eTA.
You may examine for those who want a piece allow right here.
Travelling to Canada with a legal report
All travellers ought to be conscious that Canada has strict admissibility guidelines. International nationals could also be denied entry if they’re thought-about criminally inadmissible below Canadian legislation, even when the offence occurred outdoors Canada or is taken into account minor overseas.
Canadian authorities assess offences primarily based on their Canadian authorized equal, and inadmissibility can come up from previous convictions, costs (together with these nonetheless pending), or having dedicated an offence.
Relying on the circumstances, some people might be able to overcome inadmissibility by way of choices similar to:
*TRPs are solely issued if an officer deems you to have a compelling cause to enter Canada, and that want outweighs any potential dangers you pose to public security. Whether or not you’re issued a TRP for short-term entry is on the discretion of the reviewing immigration officer—which means they might determine a soccer match doesn’t represent a compelling cause for entry.
These trying into legal rehabilitation or a TRP ought to keep in mind that processing of such functions can take appreciable time, so they need to evaluation their state of affairs nicely prematurely. Extra particulars could be present in our devoted article on the subject.
Schedule a Free Authorized Session with the Cohen Immigration Regulation Agency
Different issues to contemplate
There are a couple of further issues it’s your decision to bear in mind for those who’re contemplating attending a FIFA match in Canada:
- Processing occasions for customer visas, eTAs and work permits can differ based on nation.
- There are some objects that have to be declared when getting into Canada, similar to sure animals, tobacco or alcohol portions, and foreign money in extra of $10,000—along with others.
- Whether or not getting into Canada as a fan, employee, or volunteer, it’s essential to have a legitimate journey doc.
- Early planning is strongly suggested to extend your possibilities of getting the required documentation on time.
You’ll find out extra particulars by visiting IRCC’s devoted webpage on the FIFA World Cup 2026.
