Dozens of people who travelled to Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have since claimed asylum in the country following the matches, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has confirmed to CTV News. According to IRCC, 175 people who flagged “FIFA World Cup 26” on their temporary residence applications before travelling to Canada later submitted asylum claims. That’s from a total 26,111 people who travelled to Canada and flagged the World Cup as their purpose for visiting. The figures were first reported by The Globe and Mail. Over the course of the five-week men’s World Cup — cohosted by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico — 13 matches took place in Canada, in Vancouver and Toronto. “Canada is proud to have welcomed thousands of visitors for FIFA World Cup 2026, including athletes, coaches, officials, medical staff, media, corporate sponsors and fans from around the world,” wrote IRCC spokesperson Anahita Beladi in an email to CTV News. “While some individuals who enter Canada as visitors may later make an asylum claim, the vast majority of visitors comply with the conditions of their stay and the data speaks to it,” Beladi added. People who later claimed asylum originated in a dozen countries: Bangladesh, Burundi, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and Senegal. The highest number of claimants came from Ghana, with 25 people, followed by Colombia, Egypt and Kenya with 15 applicants each. A person submitting an asylum claim in Canada must either do so with a Canadian Border Services Agency officer at a port of entry, or with IRCC if they’ve already been granted entry and are in Canada. This year’s FIFA men’s World Cup was the most-watched edition of the tournament in Canadian history, with 77 per cent of Canadians tuning in, and the average person watching for about 15 hours of matches, the Canadian Press reported.
