A total of 545 Ghanaians were reportedly denied visas in connection with applications to travel for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to a report published by GhanaWeb.
The figure represents a significant proportion of the applications reportedly processed through the government’s system for Ghanaian fans and other travellers seeking to attend the tournament.
According to the report, 986 visa applications were processed, with 545 applicants reportedly receiving refusals. The development has drawn attention to the challenges some Ghanaian travellers faced in securing visas for the tournament.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup was hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, attracting football fans from around the world. Ghanaian supporters and other travellers interested in attending matches were required to meet the relevant visa requirements for the country they intended to visit.
The reported visa refusals come against the background of earlier concerns over the ability of Ghanaian supporters to travel to the tournament.
In May 2026, reports of visa refusals involving Ghanaian supporters had already generated public discussion. At the time, however, Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams dismissed reports suggesting that supporters being coordinated by the Ministry had suffered mass visa denials.
The minister explained that the organised supporters under the Ministry’s arrangements had not yet attended their visa interviews at the United States Embassy at that stage. He also urged the media to verify information before publishing reports about the visa process.
Subsequent developments showed that the United States Embassy in Ghana had continued processing a large number of applications. In the first half of 2026 alone, the embassy reportedly processed about 38,000 nonimmigrant visa applications, representing an increase of nearly 60 percent compared with the same period in 2025. The embassy also said thousands more Ghanaians had obtained U.S. visas, including people travelling to watch the World Cup.
The reported 545 refusals therefore form part of a much wider visa-processing picture involving Ghanaians travelling to the United States for different purposes.
For football supporters who had hoped to watch Ghana’s matches in person, a visa refusal meant they could not make the planned trip under the application in question.
The development also highlights the importance of meeting the requirements of the relevant destination country when applying for a visitor visa. Visa decisions are made by the appropriate authorities based on the individual application and applicable immigration rules.
As the World Cup travel period continues to generate interest among Ghanaian football fans, the reported figures are likely to remain a subject of discussion, particularly among supporters who had hoped to experience the tournament in person.
Source: Thepressradio.com
