Delays, distrust, dynamic prices - how 'welcoming' will World Cup be?

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has many times insisted that "the world will beryllium welcome" during adjacent summer's men's World Cup, which will beryllium held mostly by nan USA, pinch immoderate matches successful Canada and Mexico.

"We'll bring nan world to nan United States of America," nan Swiss said earlier this year. "The world loves America, immoderate any mightiness say."

But nan nearer nan commencement of nan tourney draws, nan much scrutiny is being placed connected whether nan USA will beryllium rather arsenic welcoming arsenic Infantino insists.

With governmental unit connected nan rise, authorities troops deployed to awesome cities by President Donald Trump, and a much hardline stance taken connected immigration, nan tournament's main big federation is successful a authorities of section and disruption.

As summons income statesman and fans make recreation plans, BBC Sport explores immoderate of nan issues causing concern.

Last week nan first batch of tickets for adjacent summer's matches went connected sale, pinch much than 4.5 cardinal fans entering a tie for a chance to bargain them.

Immediately, Fifa's attack to pricing drew important backlash.

Fifa has not formally revealed a afloat value list, but they are being listed online by fans who were successful successful nan tie aft spending hours successful integer queues past week.

General admittance tickets are being divided into 4 categories, pinch those for nan first lucifer successful nan USA costing betwixt $560 (£417) and $2,235 (£1,662). At nan past World Cup successful Qatar, nan opening lucifer was priced betwixt $55 (£41) and $618 (£460).

The cheapest summons for nan 2026 last costs $2,030 (£1,510), and nan astir costly is $6,000 (£4,462). Hospitality tickets, meanwhile, are yet to spell connected waste but will almost surely beryllium priced importantly higher.

Some tickets for matches early successful nan tourney - successful a fewer of nan little prestigious locations - are disposable for $60 (£44), but stadium representation images show they are a mini proportionality of disposable seats.

The Athletic besides reports, external that Fifa will besides instrumentality 15% charges connected some nan purchaser and seller of tickets resold via its charismatic platform.

Fifa did not respond to questions put guardant by nan BBC.

"These prices are astonishing - $2,030 for nan cheapest last summons is unacceptable," said Thomas Concannon, who leads nan Football Supporters Association's England Fans' Embassy.

"If fans are successful successful obtaining a class 4 summons from nan first crippled to nan last, that could group them backmost $3,180 (£2,363) astatine least. That is much than double what Qatar cost.

"Combined pinch recreation and accommodation, this will beryllium nan astir costly World Cup for match-going fans we've ever seen by immoderate distance."

Fifa is besides adopting a 'dynamic' pricing exemplary for nan tournament, meaning summons prices for matches deemed precocious request could beryllium raised importantly during later income periods.

The strategy has nan imaginable to use Americans while locking retired overseas fans.

"Dynamic pricing has really been a point present for much than a decade," said Scott Friedman, recovered of nan Ticket Talk Network successful nan USA. "For Fifa, it's proviso and request - they are trying to maximise their revenue.

"The strategy gives an advantage to American citizens who tin possibly bargain a resale summons for a crippled which has little request astatine overmuch little than look worth 48 hours earlier a match.

"People can't really recreation from overseas to do that. The strategy is not adjacent for nan remainder of nan world and could decidedly value retired group from different countries."

During his erstwhile word successful office, erstwhile nan World Cup bid was accepted, Trump signed a missive insisting that "all eligible athletes, officials and fans from each countries astir nan world would beryllium capable to participate nan United States without discrimination".

Some fans, including those from nan UK and EU, will beryllium capable to recreation to nan World Cup without a visa. That is because 42 territories are successful nan USA's Visa Waiver Program, meanings fans will only request to use via nan Electronic System for Travel Authorisation, which is usually approved aliases rejected wrong 72 hours.

But citizens of astir countries, particularly those successful Asia, Africa and South America - including plentifulness who person either already secured qualification for nan World Cup aliases are apt do truthful - do person to use for visas.

While Russia and Qatar implemented visa fast-track processes astatine nan erstwhile 2 editions of nan World Cup, nan USA has not done so.

Fans hoping to be matches must use and participate nan aforesaid queue arsenic different visitors to nan US, and tin look delays truthful agelong that they whitethorn beryllium incapable to beryllium approved for a visa successful clip to be nan tournament.

Applications for US visas usually impact astatine slightest 1 face-to-face question and reply astatine an embassy, and nan Trump management has accrued its officials' powers to analyse applicants' societal media usage and nationalist governmental statements.

As things stand, mean hold times for an first tourer visa question and reply for immoderate countries are good complete a year.

Last week nan State Department announced it will summation staffing levels astatine immoderate embassies successful bid to effort to process applications much quickly, but hasn't revealed which countries aliases really galore staff.

"We person a agelong measurement to spell earlier we're fresh to invited nan world," said Travis Murphy, a erstwhile State Department diplomat and laminitis of Jetr Global Sports, which helps world athletes entree US visas.

"The existent management has been outspoken successful position of limiting world travel, and putting restrictions into immoderate processes to make it much difficult.

"The visa process successful nan USA has not been very clear aliases businesslike for decades. The regulations really haven't changed that overmuch - really strictly immoderate of nan rules are enforced is really what is [important] here.

"You besides person this over-arching position that possibly group aren't invited aliases are unsafe here. I don't deliberation that's accurate, but I tin spot why world audiences would person that perception.

"I would dislike to spot our state put itself successful a position wherever early events mightiness beryllium pulled distant because of really we grip this."

There person been a bid of governmental assassinations successful nan USA truthful acold successful 2025, and location were around 500 wide shootings crossed nan state successful 2024.

Forced deportations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers person besides accrued connected nan orders of Trump, who has deployed National Guard troops successful Democrat-led cities, including Los Angeles, which will big 8 matches.

ICE and National Guard deployments person drawn wide protests from distrustful communities successful immoderate cities, and Trump has threatened to force matches to beryllium moved from cities he deems "unsafe".

"There is nary mobility nan divisions successful nan United States are considerable," says Daniel Byman, head of nan Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program astatine nan Center for Strategic and International Studies, an American deliberation tank. "On different issues, depending connected nan day, nan president aliases immoderate of his cardinal group are trying to push a much polarised agenda. There is simply a batch of anger.

"With nan Trump administration, location are batch of 'we don't know' answers successful position of security, because they don't yet person overmuch of a way grounds for large events.

"There has been a beautiful dependable dismantling of a batch of nan authorities agencies - cuts astatine nan Department of Homeland Security and nan FBI. With that comes not only nonaccomplishment of people, but nonaccomplishment of organization knowledge.

"There are tons of individuals who tin beryllium disruptive and dangerous. And nan United States, of course, has fresh entree to firearms successful a measurement that astir countries do not."