A total of 175 individuals who entered Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have requested asylum, aiming to stay permanently after the event. Data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) confirmed that these claims were filed by individuals who specified their connection to the tournament in their visa applications. Canada granted over 26,000 visitor visas for the matches held in Toronto and Vancouver.
Ghana recorded the highest number of claims with 25 applicants, while Egypt and Colombia each accounted for 15. Senegal followed with 10 claims, and Ecuador recorded five. Notably, citizens from countries that did not participate in the tournament also sought asylum, including 15 people from Kenya and 10 each from China, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. Additional claims were submitted by travelers from Burundi, Nepal, Pakistan, and others who entered via electronic travel authorizations.
Canadian officials previously enforced strict screening processes to prevent visitors from using the tournament as a pathway for immigration. While the government warned that visa applications would be rigorously examined, immigration lawyer Stephen Green described the volume of asylum claims as relatively low when measured against the total number of tournament visas issued. History shows this trend is not unique, as similar patterns of asylum requests occurred during the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2012 London Games.
