Ghana’s World Cup hopes soar: Will fans be grounded by tough US visa rules?
Ghanaian football fans are beginning to dream again. After a string of emphatic victories — 5-0 against Chad and 3-0 against Madagascar — the Black Stars are back on course to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Coach Otto Addo’s rejuvenated side has ignited hope across the nation, climbing to the top of Group I in the African qualifiers with just four matches remaining.
For Ghanaians, qualifying for the World Cup is more than a sporting ambition. It is a national event steeped in emotional pride, political currency (President Kufuor delivered Ghana’s maiden World Cup berth in 2006, John Evan Atta Mills in 2010, John Mahama in 2014, and Nana Akufo-Addo in 2022), and economic opportunity.
Ever since the country’s dazzling debut in Germany in 2006, the World Cup has become a strong pillar of Ghana’s global sporting identity.
And with the next edition set across the USA, Canada, and Mexico — three of the world’s most alluring destinations for Ghanaians — expectations are soaring once again.
As exemplified by fans’ reactions during Ghana’s 2026 World Cup qualifying matches in Kumasi and Accra, missing out is simply not an option.
However, for fans, travel companies, and even government agencies counting on a strong Ghanaian presence in North America, US visa restrictions, made even more stringent under President Donald Trump’s administration, could lock out thousands of Ghanaian fans and crush the country’s World Cup ambitions beyond the football field.
Travelling fans worry
If Black Stars skipper Jordan Ayew and his teammates can carry Ghana to qualification, the global stage awaits.
FIFA projects that the 2026 World Cup will attract over six million foreign visitors to the US, bringing with them a windfall for tourism, hospitality and retail sectors. Yet, immigration and visa hurdles threaten to derail those projections.
Under President Donald Trump’s second term, the US has ramped up its crackdown on illegal immigration, introducing layers of restrictions that have sparked concerns among international fans — particularly from Africa and Latin America.
For Ghanaians, securing a visa to the United States is already an uphill battle, with waiting periods at the US Embassy in Accra reportedly stretching from six months to one year.
This bureaucratic nightmare has the potential to derail travel plans for thousands of fans, even those with match tickets and accommodation already booked.
Unlike previous World Cups in Russia and Qatar, where host governments introduced fast-track visa systems for fans with match tickets and Fan IDs, the US currently has no such provisions. Instead, fans from countries like Ghana must navigate a complex, overburdened visa system — one that has seen waiting times for interviews at the US Embassy in Accra stretch beyond 300 days.
For thousands of Ghanaians dreaming of cheering on the Black Stars in stadiums across New York, Miami or Los Angeles, that delay could prove insurmountable.
Unsettling signals
Last month, President Trump signed an executive order establishing a White House task force to oversee preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — a 48-team spectacle that will mark the first time the tournament is hosted across three countries. Trump, ever the showman, pledged to make the event “the biggest and best World Cup ever.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino stood beside him in the Oval Office as the cameras flashed — but behind the pageantry lies a serious concern. Trump’s hardline immigration stance — symbolised by the aggressive enforcement activities of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — is already disrupting lives.
There is little indication that ICE operations, which have targeted Africans and Hispanics alike, will be paused during the World Cup.
And while Trump is eager to trumpet the economic benefits of hosting the tournament — the White House forecasts up to 450,000 visitors per host city and a $480 million economic boost — his administration appears unwilling to budge on immigration reforms. This has sparked fears that fans could be caught up in broader political crossfire.
Ghanaian business dilemma
This paradox is not lost on stakeholders in Ghana. The travel industry in Ghana typically thrives during World Cup years. Packages to previous tournaments have sold out within weeks of Ghana qualifying. Airlines, hotels and travel agents anticipate bumper business.
The government, too, sees international tournaments as an avenue for soft diplomacy, ‘fix’ supporters and party footsoldiers with travel opportunities and other political capital.
Yet all these projections could be scuttled by a visa regime that many say is discriminatory and sluggish. The US Department of State has promised to reduce waiting times but has not made any guarantees regarding special treatment for football fans.
This is a stark contrast to Russia and Qatar, where football fans were welcomed with open arms and fast-track entry procedures.
FIFA officials have voiced concerns, as have tour operators and government representatives from several developing countries. But without a concerted lobbying effort by FIFA and its partners, it appears unlikely that the US will make exceptions — even for the world’s most celebrated sporting event.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is aware of the dilemma but remains focused on the qualification campaign.
However, if the Black Stars secure a spot at the tournament, behind the scenes, pressure will begin to mount on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to negotiate more flexible visa arrangements for Ghanaians.
If visa restrictions remain in place and waiting times are not drastically reduced, fans — even those with match tickets in hand — may never make it to North America.
As one travel operator in Accra lamented, “The team may make it to the World Cup, but the fans might not. And what’s a World Cup without the heartbeat of the nation behind them?”