At least 175 international visitors who traveled to Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have filed asylum claims, according to immigration data released as of July 20, 2026.
The applications came after Canada issued over 26,000 temporary residence visas for tournament matches in Toronto and Vancouver.
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Claims by Nationality
Ghanaian and Chinese nationals submitted the highest number of refugee requests, with 25 citizens each.
Other claims came from Egypt, Colombia, and Kenya, each recording 15 applications, while 10 claims were submitted by Senegalese nationals.
Bangladesh, Nigeria, and several other countries each recorded 10 or fewer claims.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada stated that of the 26,111 individuals with prior FIFA-related approved temporary residence applications, 175 later submitted asylum claims.
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The agency noted the data only includes applicants who flagged 'FIFA World Cup 26' in their temporary-residence applications.
Legal experts commented on the ratio of refugee claims relative to the thousands of fans who entered the country.
Toronto immigration lawyer Stephen Green said the government did a great job of assessing applications.
Prior to the tournament, Canadian officials implemented strict screening measures and warned that visa applicants could be turned away if there were concerns they would not return home.
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Historical data shows similar trends, as Canada faced 22 asylum claims during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, while the United Kingdom recorded 82 claims during the 2012 London Olympics.
