Ghana has recorded the highest number of Canadian visa refusals among all countries that applied under the FIFA World Cup 2026, with 1,423 of its 1,953 applications being turned down, a refusal rate of roughly 73 percent, Toronto Star has reported.
The figures, drawn from Canada’s Immigration Department and covering the period November 14, 2025 to March 31, 2026 place Ghana at the top of both the application and refusal tables, ahead of Pakistan (797 refusals), India (687), Nigeria (557) and Colombia (461).
On Wednesday, June 17, 2026 Ghana, drawn in Group L alongside England, Croatia and Panama opened their World Cup campaign in Toronto with a 1-0 victory over Panama, renewing hopes back home and making the West African nation one of the few countries in the top-refusal bracket, with a direct competitive stake in the tournament.
According to the Canadian newspaper, across all nationalities, refusals outpaced approvals among applications flagged with the “FIFA World Cup 2026 marker.
Of a total 4,625 visas approved, Colombia led with 1,076 despite submitting 1,739 applications and recording 461 refusals. China received 327 approvals, Ecuador 257, the United States 239 and India 188.
Colombia, India, Nigeria and Pakistan each submitted more than 1,000 applications. India (1,393), Nigeria (1,293) and Pakistan (1,085) are not in the tournament. Colombia qualified but is not scheduled to play in Canada.
In a story which The Chronicle sourced from Toronto Star website, Canada is also processing electronic travel authorisations for visa-exempt nationals.
Of 2,340 eTAs approved, only 54 were rejected across the top five eTA source countries – Panama, Australia, Germany, Brazil and England – reflecting the significantly lower refusal threshold applied to nationals of those states.
Ottawa tightened its World Cup visa posture after false social media posts claimed visitors could work in Canada without permits during the tournament.
Immigration officials responded with a public disinformation campaign alongside heightened application scrutiny.
A temporary exemption, effective until July 31, 2026 allows FIFA-invited foreign nationals to work without a work permit.
As of March 31, 2026 – 1,135 such individuals had been issued a visitor visa or eTA on presentation of an official FIFA invitation letter.
Canada is hosting 13 World Cup matches, six in Toronto and seven in Vancouver, between June 12 and July 7, 2026.
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