ADRIAN MA, HOST:
The Summer Olympics just wrapped up, and the Paralympics are still to come. And after that, the next big global sporting event is the men's soccer World Cup in 2026. Now the U.S. is cohosting the tournament and preparing to welcome fans from all over the world. But with just under two years to go, many fans are worried they may not be able to come to attend the games. NPR's Rafael Nam explains why.
RAFAEL NAM, BYLINE: Shivanshu Vyas is a longtime soccer fan in India. He's been counting down the days till 2026.
SHIVANSHU VYAS: I'm a big football fan, and I have been thinking about 2026 World Cup for a long time now.
NAM: That's when he and his future wife went to see his favorite soccer team, Manchester United, play a friendly. It was at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The experience of being in this big American stadium was exhilarating.
VYAS: As soon as I saw the green pitch, it actually sent goose bumps down my spine. And I was a bit teary eyed, not going to lie.
NAM: Right there, Vyas knew he had to come for the World Cup, but he faces a major issue. He may not get a visa in time. The wait time for a visa interview in New Delhi is 386 days. In Bogota, Colombia, it's way worse - 677 days, when the World Cup will already be underway. There are reasons for that. The U.S. has a huge backlog of visa applications. On top of that, the number of visitors is surging.
TRAVIS MURPHY: So it's kind of this perfect storm of different elements that's causing wait times to balloon, and we now have the World Cup coming in on the tail end of this. And the demand, I think, is not probably fully appreciated in terms of how big that will be.
NAM: That's Travis Murphy, the CEO of Jetr Global, a sports immigration consultancy firm. He's not the only one concerned. Senators, 21 of them, urged the White House this month to create a special task force to coordinate planning and expedite visa wait times because it's not just the World Cup. The U.S. is also hosting the Summer Olympics in 2028 and the Winter Olympics in 2034. So getting this tournament right is critical.
MURPHY: But we bid on this. We, as a country, said, please come to our country. We want to host this event.
NAM: Murphy knows there's the balance. The U.S. can't just fling open its doors. People could try to use the World Cup as a chance to get in and never leave. But he says the U.S. needs to figure out how to get that balance right to avoid shutting out people like Vyas. Vyas knows the challenges, but he's hopeful.
VYAS: I'm having positive energy, and I'm trying to sort of manifest that reality (laughter). Still have two years for it, so I guess I have enough time.
NAM: Yes, but the clock is ticking. One big problem - Vyas is looking for a steady job because he knows his consulting gig could be a reason enough to deny his visa. For Vyas, that would be devastating.
VYAS: It would be, for sure, but I guess that's just how life is. You got to deal with it and move on.
NAM: Because as much as Vyas wants to come to the U.S. for the World Cup, he also knows a visa could stand in his way. Rafael Nam, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF CIRCLES AROUND THE SUN'S, "MONEY'S NO OPTION") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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