Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has confirmed that 175 people who travelled to the country to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup later filed asylum claims after their arrival. According to IRCC figures, 26,111 people listed the “2026 World Cup” as their purpose of travel when applying for temporary residence. Of those, 175 subsequently submitted asylum applications after entering Canada. The applicants came from 12 countries, including Bangladesh, Burundi, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and Senegal. Ghana had the highest number of asylum claimants, with 25 people, followed by Colombia, Egypt and Kenya, each with 15 applicants. A spokesperson for Canada’s immigration department said that while some visitors apply for asylum after arriving, the vast majority of travellers comply with the conditions of their visas and leave Canada after completing their trips. The 2026 FIFA World Cup was jointly hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico, with 13 matches held in the Canadian cities of Vancouver and Toronto.
