Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has reported that 175 people who entered the country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup later filed asylum claims. The figures, current as of 20 July 2026 and first detailed by The Globe and Mail, cover individuals who specifically noted the tournament (often as “FIFA World Cup 26”) when applying for temporary residence.
Canada co-hosted the expanded 48-team tournament with the United States and Mexico. The country staged 13 matches in Toronto and Vancouver and approved more than 26,000 temporary visas connected to the event (precisely 26,111 in the IRCC data set). Officials have declined to break down how many of the asylum claimants were ordinary supporters, players, team staff or other accredited personnel.
Among nations whose teams took part, Ghana recorded the largest number of claims at 25. Egypt and Colombia each accounted for 15, Senegal for 10 and Ecuador for five. Claims also came from citizens of countries that did not qualify: Kenya led that group with 15, followed by China, Bangladesh and Nigeria with 10 each. Burundi, Nepal and Pakistan each registered five. A further five claims were made by travellers who arrived on electronic travel authorisations rather than visitor visas.
IRCC stressed that the total could still increase if additional visitors remain after their authorised stay and later seek refugee protection. The department noted that the published numbers capture only those who explicitly linked their applications to the World Cup, so the true figure linked to the tournament period may be higher. Overall, the 175 claims represent roughly 0.67 per cent of the approved FIFA-related temporary residence applications.
Before the competition, Canadian authorities repeatedly cautioned that possession of a match ticket did not guarantee a visa or admission. Applicants faced rigorous screening designed to confirm they intended to leave once the event ended. Toronto immigration lawyer Stephen Green observed that the relatively modest number of claims, set against the volume of visas issued, indicated the screening process had largely worked as intended.
Related Developments
There are subsequent reporting has that sheds additional light on the scale of Canada’s visa controls for the tournament. IRCC refused more than 20,000 visa applications tied to the World Cup (20,845 visas plus 205 electronic travel authorisations). Nigerian applicants faced particularly high refusal rates: 1,965 were turned down while only 220 were approved. Ghanaian fans encountered similar barriers, with 3,135 refusals against 470 approvals. Overall approval rates for African applicants were often low, prompting commentary that the tournament could have offered greater opportunities to strengthen Canada’s engagement with African tourism and diaspora communities.
The tournament itself concluded on 19 July 2026 when Spain defeated defending champions Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the 106th minute. Spain claimed its second World Cup title (its first since 2010) and became the first nation to hold both the men’s and women’s World Cup trophies simultaneously.
Historical parallels exist. During the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, 22 people, including some from Ghana, lodged asylum claims. Larger numbers of athletes and officials sought protection after the 2012 London Olympics. Canadian officials had prepared for similar risks in 2026, suspending certain work-permit requirements for FIFA-accredited personnel while maintaining strict scrutiny of ordinary visitor applications.
The IRCC data remain operational and subject to revision. Authorities continue to monitor overstays, and any further claims will be processed under Canada’s refugee-determination system. The episode underscores both the challenges of managing large-scale temporary entries for major sporting events and the effectiveness of pre-screening in limiting subsequent asylum applications relative to the total number of visitors.