World Cup: Third of fan visas from non-European countries are being rejected
A third of World Cup fan visas from non-European countries are being rejected with Iran and Senegal hit the hardest, research has found.
The United States, which is hosting 78 of the World Cup’s 104 matches, has refused 74 per cent of visas from Senegalese applicants and 61 per cent of Iranian submissions.
These are closely followed by the likes of Ghana, Jordan and Uzbekistan, while the US has rejected half of Canadian tourist and business visas in the last year, according to data provided by Allianz Trade.
“Football’s fastest-growing fan bases are increasingly located in the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and certain regions of Latin America but visitors from these regions may perceive travel to the US as administratively burdensome or politically uncertain,” Allianz’s Kick-off to Cash Flow report reads.
It comes amid a series of security and immigration concerns surrounding the World Cup, which kicks off this evening and is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
World Cup visa woes
There have been issues with the Iranian team getting into the United States following the conflict between the two nations, while there were immigration issues in Canada too.
And Fifa president Gianni Infantino called for people to “chill and relax” after Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the United States.
The World Cup kicks off this evening in Mexico City between Mexico and South Africa before the USA get underway against Paraguay late tomorrow evening.
“Although the Trump administration recently announced that football fans from 50 countries subject to an initial $15,000 visa bond requirement would be exempt,” the report concludes, “nationals of Iran and Haiti remain subject to entry restrictions.
“In addition, travellers from Ivory Coast and Senegal are subject to restrictions under the expanded scope of the travel ban. The result may not be a complete absence of international visitors, but rather a redistribution of demand toward Canada and Mexico.”