African fans face steep visa hurdles for the 2026 World Cup in Canada
New figures released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and shared with CTV News reveal that visitors from several African nations encountered unusually high refusal rates when applying to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co‑hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico. Business Insider Africa examined the data, focusing on countries that submitted at least 100 visitor visa applications between 14 November 2025 and 31 March 2026, to ensure statistically meaningful comparisons.
What the data shows
The analysis covers Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) and Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) applications that were flagged as World‑Cup‑related travel. Across all nationalities, IRCC processed nearly 17,000 such applications during the reporting period, approving only 41 % overall.
Among African applicants, rejection rates varied dramatically:
- Democratic Republic of Congo – 96.1 % of processed applications were refused.
- Kenya – 91.1 % refusal rate.
