Overview
- The tournament began with organizers and governments using large digital systems to speed entry, including more than 5.9 million ESTA filings and over 1.6 million enrollments in trusted‑traveller programs across the three hosts.
- New tools such as FIFA PASS, which prioritizes visa appointments for ticket holders, and COMPASS, an AI assistant to guide travelers, were deployed to reduce bottlenecks and help border authorities manage demand.
- Despite those measures, U.S. immigration enforcement denied or turned back selected officials and delegation members, including Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan and multiple Iranian federation staff, and Iran relocated its base to Tijuana for U.S. matches.
- U.S. officials defended strict screening as a security measure, while FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the organization cannot overrule national immigration decisions, leaving practical access under host‑state control.
- Analysts and WTTC officials say the event shows both the promise of interoperable, multi‑country border systems and the limits of facilitation when national policy and politics determine who can actually enter the host countries.