The first 2026 FIFA World Cup match in the U.S. — to take place in California, Mexico and Canada — may be more than 12 months out, but some members of Congress are concerned that time is running out to approve visas for all of the millions of athletes and tourists planning to travel to the United States.

Failure to process all visa requests on time would result in a hit to the United States’ reputation, said the 55 concerned House members in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In the letter, they raised issues over backlogs in visa applications and recommended changes to expedite the processing of such requests.

The letter, dated Wednesday, May 21, was co-led by two Southern California House members: Reps. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Los Angeles, and Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hil

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