Twenty-five Ghanaians who travelled to Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have applied for asylum, according to figures released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
The applications are among 175 asylum claims submitted by foreign visitors who entered Canada after receiving temporary residence approval connected to the global football tournament, which was jointly hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico.
IRCC revealed that it approved temporary residence applications for 26,111 people who stated that they were travelling to Canada in relation to the FIFA World Cup. However, by July 20, 2026, 175 of those individuals had gone on to seek asylum.
“Of the 26,111 individuals with prior FIFA-related approved temporary residence applications, 175 people later submitted asylum claims,” IRCC said in a statement cited by Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail.
The Canadian immigration authorities explained that the figures only include applicants who specifically mentioned “FIFA World Cup 26” in their temporary residence applications.
Ghana was among the countries with the highest number of asylum applications, recording 25 claims — the same number as China. Egypt and Colombia followed with 15 applications each, while Senegal, Bangladesh and Nigeria recorded 10 claims apiece. Ecuador, Burundi, Nepal and Pakistan each registered five applications.
Canadian authorities did not reveal the identities or backgrounds of those who filed the claims, meaning it remains unclear whether they included football players, team officials, support staff or regular fans who attended the tournament.
Applications for asylum by foreign sports delegations and visitors after major international events are not uncommon.
Following the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, about 200 Ghanaians reportedly sought asylum in the country, claiming religious persecution. The Ghanaian government at the time rejected those claims as unfounded.
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