Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has reported that 25 Ghanaians who travelled to Canada for the FIFA World Cup 2026 have filed asylum applications. Their claims form part of 175 asylum requests submitted by foreign visitors who entered Canada under temporary residence approvals linked to the tournament, which was jointly hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
IRCC disclosed that it granted temporary residence permits to 26,111 individuals who indicated they were travelling in connection with the World Cup. As of July 20, 2026, 175 of those permit holders had subsequently sought asylum. “Of the 26,111 individuals with prior FIFA-related approved temporary residence applications, 175 people later submitted asylum claims,” IRCC said in a statement as reported by The Globe and Mail newspaper in Canada.
Canadian immigration authorities noted that the figures reflect only applicants who identified “FIFA World Cup 26” in their temporary residence applications. Ghana and China each recorded 25 asylum claims, the highest among participating countries, while Egypt and Colombia registered 15 apiece. Senegal, Bangladesh, and Nigeria accounted for 10 claims each, and Ecuador, Burundi, Nepal, and Pakistan recorded five applications respectively.
Officials did not disclose how many of the asylum seekers were football players, team officials, support staff, or ordinary visitors to the tournament. It is not uncommon for foreign sports delegations to seek asylum; in 2014, for instance, about 200 Ghanaians applied for asylum after the World Cup in Brazil, citing religious persecution—claims the Government of Ghana dismissed as unfounded.
Source: JoySports
