Twenty-five Ghanaians who travelled to Canada for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have submitted asylum applications, according to newly released figures from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
The applications form part of 175 asylum claims lodged by foreign nationals who entered Canada after receiving temporary residence approval linked to the global football tournament, which was co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico.
According to IRCC, a total of 26,111 temporary residence applications connected to the FIFA World Cup were approved before the tournament. As of July 20, 2026, 175 individuals who had travelled under those approvals had subsequently sought asylum in Canada.
“Of the 26,111 individuals with prior FIFA-related approved temporary residence applications, 175 people later submitted asylum claims,” IRCC said in a statement quoted by The Globe and Mail.
The Canadian immigration department explained that the figures relate only to applicants who specifically identified “FIFA World Cup 26” as the reason for their temporary residence application.
Ghana among countries with highest number of claims
Ghana recorded 25 asylum applications, placing it among the countries with the highest number of claims linked to the tournament.
China also recorded 25 applications, while Egypt and Colombia each registered 15 claims.
Other countries represented in the figures include:
- Senegal – 10 applications
- Bangladesh – 10 applications
- Nigeria – 10 applications
- Ecuador – 5 applications
- Burundi – 5 applications
- Nepal – 5 applications
- Pakistan – 5 applications
Canadian authorities did not disclose the identities of the applicants or indicate whether they were football players, officials, support staff or ordinary visitors who travelled to watch the tournament.
Asylum claims after sporting events not uncommon
Immigration experts note that asylum applications made after major international sporting events are not unusual, as athletes, officials and spectators sometimes use such opportunities to seek international protection.
For Ghana, the latest development echoes a similar incident following the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, when approximately 200 Ghanaians reportedly applied for asylum.
At the time, many applicants cited religious persecution as the basis for their claims. However, the Government of Ghana rejected those allegations, describing them as unfounded.
The latest figures have once again drawn attention to the use of major international sporting events as opportunities for migration and asylum applications, although Canadian authorities have not provided details on the individual circumstances behind the 25 claims submitted by Ghanaian nationals.
