Loren Locke quoted in the Washington Examiner about 2026 World Cup

Loren Locke, an immigration attorney and former Department of State consular officer, has been monitoring the complex intersection of major international sporting events and U.S. immigration policy, particularly the economic and reputational risks these challenges pose for the World Cup.

Locke explained that Russia and Qatar, the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, created special visas and admission procedures to help streamline the process for fans from other countries entering.

“The United States has announced no such accommodation,” she told the Washington Examiner. “Instead, international visitors who don’t qualify for ESTA [Electronic System for Travel Authorization] visa waiver travel need to secure visas through our standard process. Unfortunately, the wait time for a B1/B2 visitor visa interview is hundreds of days long at some U.S. Consulates and Embassies. It’s really important that would-be World Cup attendees from abroad make sure they have their travel authorization in place before investing heavily in their travel plans.”

She added that U.S. visa policies, as they currently stand, leave “billions on the table” if fans from key soccer markets such as Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil can’t readily obtain visas to attend.

“Since our visa system has a one to two year backlog at some consulates, our government is essentially telling foreign soccer fans they’re not welcome,” she said.