U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes the world to visit Great America; however, the “visa integrity fee” adding up has no way to decrease.During his speech in the UN General Assembly, he acknowledged “countless people from all over the globe” will visit the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics hosted by the United States; however, many question if that is what he wants!
Next year the United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary. In his long speech, he stated, “We will also be proudly hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and shortly thereafter, the 2028 Olympics,” he said.
“It’s going to be very exciting. I hope you all come. I hope that countless people from all over the globe will take part.”
Fans around 210 countries made up to 1.5 million ticket applications to FIFA within 24 hours of the presale draw. Mexico, Canada and the U.S. will host the 48-team tournament.
However, for lots of spectators, a trip to the U.S. remains costly and complicated.
Visitors from non-visa waiver countries must now pay a $250 ‘visa integrity fee’ in addition to the existing charges while also enduring lengthy waits for visa interviews. According to U.S. State Department data, the average wait time for a B-1/B-2 tourism or business visa interview is 169 days.
This could particularly affect fans from countries that typically send large contingents to the World Cup, including Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil.
FIFA reports that most ticket demand comes from the three host nations, followed by Argentina, Colombia, and Brazil.
Tourists from visa-waiver countries—mainly in Europe—are exempt from the new fee, but some are skipping U.S. trips amid fears of border hassles after several widely publicised incidents.
Meanwhile, the White House has proposed rules to shorten visa durations for students, cultural exchange visitors, and media personnel.
Overseas travel to the U.S. dropped 2.9% year-on-year in August, with around 3.5 million visitors, according to preliminary government data. This marks the sixth monthly decline in 2025, running counter to the global tourism rebound and defying expectations that annual inbound travel would finally exceed the pre-pandemic level of 79.4 million visitors.
The 2028 Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, California, in July 2028.
