Nigerians were among 175 foreign nationals issued Canada visitor visas specifically for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America but diverted to file asylum applications upon arrival into the country.

In a statement made available to Globe and Mail by the  Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), over 26,000 were issued World Cup-specific temporary visas, with 175 of them later applying for asylum. 

The immigration agency noted that the figures are only limited to individuals who cited ‘FIFA World Cup 26′ in their application for temporary stay in Canada. 

“As of July 20, 2026, of the 26,111 individuals with prior FIFA-related approved temporary residence applications, 175 people later submitted asylum claims. It is important to note that this data only includes applicants who flagged ‘FIFA World Cup 26′ in their temporary-residence applications,” the IRCC stated. 

According to the RICC statement to the Globe and Mail, despite Nigeria’s Super Eagles not qualifying for the tournament, 10 Nigerian nationals, who travelled to Canada for the World Cup, applied for asylum. 

Most of the asylum seekers were from countries that played some of their World Cup matches in Toronto and Vancouver, including 15 Egyptians. Egypt played New Zealand in the group stage in Vancouver on June 21.

Another 15 applicants from Colombia, whose national team played Switzerland in Vancouver on July 7, lodged refugee claims after entering the country, while 10 of them were from Senegal. The Teranga Lions played Iraq in Toronto on June 26.

Meanwhile, Ghana, which played Panama in their World Cup opener in Toronto on June 17, has by far the most number of asylum claimants, with 25 of its nationals filing for refugee protection upon landing in Canada.

The number of asylum claimants from other countries that did not participate in the World Cup include 15 Kenyans, 10 Chinese, 10 Bangladeshi as well as five nationals each from Burundi, Nepal and Pakistan.

Additionally, five asylum claims were made by foreign nationals who did not need a visa to come to Canada but arrived on an electronic travel authorisation. Citizens of France, Belgium, Norway and Qatar can travel to Canada with electronic travel authorisation.

Recall that the Peoples Gazette reported in June that the Qatari government flew over 1,000 Qatari supporters on an all-expenses-paid trip to Canada to support the country during their World Cup campaign.