Ghanaian football fans planning to travel to the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are set to receive a major boost, following the announcement of a new visa facilitation initiative designed to cut delays and ease uncertainty.

The programme, known as FIFA PASS, will prioritise visa interview appointments for verified World Cup ticket holders.

Officially called the FIFA Prioritised Appointment Scheduling System, the initiative is aimed at non-immigrant visa applicants who can confirm their match tickets in advance of the tournament.

Matthew Asada, Press Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Accra, revealed the development during an interview on Citi FM, stressing the Embassy’s commitment to ensuring fans are not blocked by administrative hurdles.

“This will ensure that any non-immigrant visa applicant who is a vetted FIFA 2026 World Cup ticket holder is able to get an appointment before the World Cup itself,” Asada explained.

Although the system is still being finalised, he noted that comprehensive details on how FIFA PASS will operate are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, the U.S. Embassy has already taken practical steps to improve access, releasing thousands of additional non-immigrant visa appointment slots, with availability starting this week. The move follows the deployment of extra consular officers in Accra to handle the anticipated surge in applications as excitement around the World Cup builds.

“We’ve already released visa appointments for this week and next week, and we’ll continue releasing them in batches. This is part of our commitment to ensuring a successful tournament,” Asada added.