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FIFA president Gianni Infantino has assured African football fans there will be no visa hassles for next year’s FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, despite the US government’s new restrictions.
Concerns have grown over some African countries being placed on a visa restriction list by the Donald Trump administration, which could affect some participating teams and their fans.
However, during a CHAN closing press conference held in Kenya on Saturday, Infantino assured prospective World Cup travellers they would not be affected.
"I think it's important to clarify this because there is a lot of misconception out there – everyone will be welcomed in Canada, Mexico and the United States for the World Cup next year," said Infantino.
"We are working exactly for that, and at the Club World Cup this year, we had fans coming in from 164 different countries without, of course, any problem.
"Obviously there is a process to go through to obtain visas and so on, but this process will be smooth and it will ensure that those who qualify will be able to, of course, come with their fans.
"And volunteers obviously have to engage from Africa and all over the world because the World Cup is an unforgettable experience, and we'll have tens of thousands of volunteers coming from all over the world, as always in every World Cup.
"So we are working very hard to make this happen, and then every country has its own legislations in terms of obtaining visas – we've even heard here that it's not visa-free in the neighbouring countries for Africa as well.
"So we have to work on that, we have to make it seamless, but there is definitely a commitment of the governments in the United States, Canada and Mexico to make sure the process is smooth and that fans from all over the world will be welcomed."
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be held from 11 June until 19 July next year, with the CAF qualifiers, which are still ongoing, set to produce at least nine African teams set to feature at the final tournament.
