At least 175 foreign nationals who received Canadian visitor visas for the 2026 FIFA World Cup later filed asylum claims after arriving in the country, immigration authorities said.
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reported that more than 26,000 people were issued temporary residence approvals specifically linked to the tournament. Of those, 175 submitted asylum applications as of July 20.
“As of July 20, 2026, of the 26,111 individuals with prior FIFA-related approved temporary residence applications, 175 people later submitted asylum claims. It is important to note that this data only includes applicants who flagged ‘FIFA World Cup 26′ in their temporary-residence applications,” the IRCC stated.
Ghana recorded the highest number with 25 claimants, followed by 15 each from Egypt, Colombia and Kenya. Nigeria, Senegal, China and Bangladesh each accounted for 10 applicants, while five claims each came from Burundi, Nepal and Pakistan.
An additional five claims were made by nationals of visa-exempt countries who entered Canada on electronic travel authorisations, including citizens of France, Belgium, Norway and Qatar.
Many of the applicants came from nations whose teams played matches in Toronto or Vancouver. Nigeria’s Super Eagles did not qualify for the tournament, yet 10 of its nationals still used World Cup-linked visas before seeking asylum.
The figures highlight ongoing challenges around temporary entry programmes tied to major international events.
