By Simon Lewis and Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration is considering putting consular officers on double shifts and employing artificial intelligence to surge processing of visas ahead of the World Cup next year, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Wednesday.
Travel groups have raised concerns that wait times mean fans from some of the 48 nations set to compete will not be able to secure a U.S. visa before the FIFA tournament, co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada, kicks off in June 2026.
Trump’s immigration stance has further sparked fears of travel problems for those hoping to attend the soccer tournament, who could include nationals of U.S. adversaries like Iran, one of a handful of countries to already qualify. The U.S. is also hosting a soccer Club World Cup starting next month and Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympics.
Asked how the State Department would meet demand for visas amid cuts to its budget, Rubio said during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing that the consular affairs bureau that processes visas may in fact be expanded.
Foreign service officers could be reassigned so that some embassies and consulates could operate 24 hours to process more visas, Rubio added.
“If you haven’t applied for a visa from Colombia already, you probably won’t get here in time for the World Cup, unless we go to double shifts,” Rubio said.
The wait time for Colombians to get a U.S. tourist visa is currently 398 days, according to the Bogota embassy’s website.
Rubio added they were looking at ways of using AI and technology to speed up processing, particularly for people who have had visas in the past.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, an ally of Trump, has promised that international fans will be welcome at the World Cup, although U.S. Vice President JD Vance has warned that visitors must “go home” after attending matches.
Andrew Giuliani, son of former New York City Mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, will serve as executive director of the presidential task force for the 2026 World Cup.
(Reporting by Simon Lewis and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
