NEW YORK — If travelers from Colombia plan to attend the 2026 World Cup. U.S. Travel Association CEO Geoff Freeman has a message for them: “If you don’t have your visa today, you’re not getting in,” he said, citing Colombia’s 696-day current average wait time for a U.S. tourist visa.
Geoff Freeman
Freeman, speaking at the American Express Centurion Club in New York on Sept. 16, expressed U.S. Travel’s concern that the U.S. is not ready for what the association calls the decade of sporting events. The lineup includes the FIFA World Cup in 2026, which is being hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. The Rugby World Cup will be held in the U.S. in 2031, and Salt Lake City will host the 2034 Winter Olympics.
The visa backlog has long been a concern for U.S. Travel. In August, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators sent a letter to President Biden urging the administration to create a task force on global sporting events to tackle that issue, among others.
Organized by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), the letter said the 2026 World Cup alone will be the largest sporting event in U.S. history, attracting more than 5 million international visitors and generating $5 billion in economic activity. The 2028 Olympic Games are expected to generate another $5 billion.
“To ensure the success of these events, preparations must be made to facilitate smooth and secure travel to the United States for our international guests,” the senators wrote. “One challenge that must be an immediate and top priority is streamlining interview wait times for visitor visas.”
Current wait times for visitor visa interviews “remain unacceptably high in many countries,” and as of June those wait times were nearly 300 days in the largest non-Visa Waiver Program countries, the letter stated. “These wait times must be lowered in advance of these global sporting events.”
SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles will be a venue for both the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics. Photo Credit: SoFi Stadium/Vantage Point Global
The lawmakers suggested a target of fewer than 31 days for 80% of applicants by the end of 2025.
But Freeman said the issues extended beyond visas to the negative experience international visitors have coming to the U.S.
“It’s too often people experience horror stories, particularly at New York JFK, where you will have two-, three-hour lines just to get through customs,” he said. “Imagine the welcome that is for travelers who spent 14 hours to get here. And imagine what they go and tell their family and friends about that experience.”
Freeman added that there is “nothing more predictable” than when planes arrive and how many people are on them. “There really is no excuse for not being able to manage people through that process,” he said.
“We’ve got to roll out the welcome mat. And I think there’s a question out there: ‘Are we welcome in the U.S.? Does the U.S. want our business?’ That’s something we’ve got to address, and we’ve got to make clear that we want these travelers to come.”
Host cities for sporting events are similarly concerned but also optimistic.
In Los Angeles, which will host both World Cup and Olympics events, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board CEO Adam Burke said it was “critical” that the U.S. be prepared to provide a “seamless experience” for visitors.
Adam Burke
He said this has been a key focus of the U.S. Travel & Tourism Advisory Board, an advisory body to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on matters relating to travel and tourism in the U.S., of which he is a member. He said the departments of Commerce and State were both “extremely receptive” to industry feedback.
“While these issues must be addressed with real urgency, I’m confident that we’ll get there,” Burke said.
The sentiment was echoed by Liz Johnson, senior director of tourism development at Visit Seattle, a World Cup host city.
“The challenges international visitors have faced in procuring tourism visas since the onset of the pandemic are at the top of our mind,” she said. “However, recent conversations with staff and leadership at the Bureau of Consular Affairs have assuaged many of those concerns.”
Adding that Seattle has long been a gateway for visitors arriving from Asian countries such as China and India, she said news of additional personnel and new application centers in those countries had been well received.
“There is still work to be done to make sure overseas guests are able to reach Seattle, whether for tourism, to connect with friends and family or to take part in global sporting events,” she said. “But we’re confident steps are being taken that will show the world Seattle and the U.S. are ready to welcome them.”
