NEW YORK, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The 2026 World Cup kicks off in less than 500 days and there is mounting concern that the United States is not ready to welcome the more than 6 million visitors who will flood North America for the tournament, reported the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday.

"Fans, politicians and other stakeholders, including FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, fear rigid immigration rules and long visa wait times will make it difficult for supporters and even players to enter the United States for the games, tarnishing what FIFA president Gianni Infantino once promised would be the 'most inclusive World Cup ever'," noted the report.

"It's going to be a massive problem," David J. Bier, the associate director for immigration studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian public policy research organization, was quoted as saying. "There's no one paying attention to this at all."

Wait times for interviews for business and tourist visas, which built up under the Biden administration, top 330 days at 18 U.S. embassies and consulates, with some of the longest waits coming in India, Colombia, Peru and Honduras, according to the report.

"Since World Cup tickets aren't expected to go on sale until late this year, most fans planning to come to the United States for the games will have less than six months to secure the necessary paperwork," it added. Enditem

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