The United States requires influential foreign figures to obtain work visas for the 2026 World Cup

Influencers who cover The 2026 World Cup in the United States will not be able to create monetized content on social media without a work visa, according to a joint statement from Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security. The move could impact FIFA’s broadcast strategy, which includes agreements with several international creators on TikTok and YouTube.

In a statement to El País, CBP and the Department of Homeland Security said that “coming to the United States for the sole purpose of creating content (as an influencer), and thus generating profits from the United States while you are in the country, is considered work and requires the appropriate visa.” The statement specifies that those who do not have a work visa and are earning income could violate the terms of their immigration status.

The 2026 World Cup is expected to become one of the biggest sporting events of the year and is also very popular among social media influencers. The United States will host 78 of the 104 scheduled matches, distributed among 11 host cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, Atlanta and San Francisco.

A study conducted by FIFA and the World Trade Organization estimates that about 6.5 million people will attend the tournament matches in the host countries. The United States will account for more than half of that number, with about 3.7 million people attending, many of them foreigners.

In recent months, FIFA has announced agreements with platforms such as TikTok and YouTube to expand the reach of the tournament on social media. The deals include the participation of dozens of international influencers who, according to YouTube, will have unprecedented access to matches and activities related to the World Cup.

“They won’t just be a reaction to the game, they’ll bring a fresh perspective to the FIFA World Cup including human stories, tactical breakdowns and behind-the-scenes action that brings the legendary tournament to life as it unfolds,” YouTube’s global head of media and sports, Justin Connolly, wrote on the video-sharing platform’s blog earlier this year.

In the case of TikTok, the agreement with FIFA includes the participation of 30 content creators from 11 countries and 22 cities on four continents. Creatives, according to a statement released by the company in May, “represent football fans from everywhere, reflecting the diversity of voices and perspectives that define the game, and extending tournament discovery to fans wherever they are, in the languages ​​and formats that resonate most.”

It remains unclear whether influencers included in these programs have the necessary documentation to engage in paid activities in the United States.

For creatives who do not have a work visa, a possible alternative is the O-1 visa, which is reserved for people with “exceptional ability” in fields such as the arts, business, science or sports. Unlike the B1/B2 tourist or business visa, this visa allows, under certain conditions, professional activities on US territory for remuneration, including business collaborations, promotional tours, and content production for profit.

Questions remain about how to verify that foreign influencers have the appropriate visa to perform their work. It is also unclear under what conditions these regulations will be applied. The El Pais report indicates that US authorities plan to strengthen inspections at airports and border crossings, in addition to monitoring the digital activity of content creators suspected of violating immigration rules.

This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and was translated from Spanish.