A total of 175 visitors who travelled to Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have applied for asylum after the tournament, with Nigerians accounting for 10 of the claims, according to official figures released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
The figures, published by IRCC and reported by The Globe and Mail, showed that as of July 20, 2026, 175 people who identified themselves as FIFA World Cup visitors in their temporary residence applications had subsequently filed asylum claims.
Canada co-hosted the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside the United States and Mexico, staging 13 matches in Toronto and Vancouver. More than 26,000 visas were issued to visitors linked to the tournament.
Spain won the tournament after defeating defending champions Argentina in the final.
The immigration department, however, declined to disclose how many of the asylum seekers were football players, team officials, support staff or ordinary fans.
The figures
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