World Cup 2026: what fans need to enter the USA, Canada & Mexico

How to read this tracker

• Three hosts, three systems. The United States admits citizens of 42 Visa Waiver Program countries on an ESTA; everyone else needs a B-1/B-2 visitor visa, for which interview wait times at some posts run into many months — apply early. Canada admits visa-exempt nationalities on an eTA. Mexico waives visas for around 65 nationalities for up to 180 days.
• The valid-US-visa shortcut. Two of the hosts reward a US visa. Mexico lets any visa-national enter visa-free if they hold a valid visa (or permanent-residence card) for the US, Canada, the UK, the Schengen Area or Japan. Canada lets certain nationalities (its “eTA-X” list — Argentina, Morocco, Panama, Uruguay, and others) swap the visa for an eTA if they hold a valid US visa or have held a Canadian visa in the past decade. A US visa is therefore the single most useful document for many fans.
• Passport, not flag. Entry depends on the passport, not the team. England and Scotland travel on UK passports (ESTA, eTA, Mexico visa-free). Curaçao’s passports are not covered by the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ visa-waiver arrangements, so Curaçaoan fans need visas. Iranian nationals are barred from the US Visa Waiver Program outright.
• Recent changes we tracked. Qatar joined the US Visa Waiver Program in November 2024 (ESTA for the US — but still a visa for Canada). Romania’s VWP designation was rescinded in May 2025. Türkiye uses Mexico’s online SAE authorization rather than a full visa. Brazil lost both Mexican and Canadian visa-free access.
• This is a planning aid, not the final word. Always confirm with the official government source before you book — entry rules and interview wait times change. Each host links through to its full destination guide on our site for the current detail.