The U.S. Consulate in Tijuana has scaled up operations to process roughly 1,000 visa appointments per day as demand surges ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins in less than a month. U.S. Consul General Christopher Teal confirmed the spike and said the consulate has activated express appointments for applicants who hold World Cup tickets.
The tournament, co-hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, is driving an unprecedented wave of cross-border travel demand. Mexican nationals without valid U.S. visas are flooding the Tijuana consulate, which sits next to the busiest land border crossing in the world at San Ysidro.
Express Appointments and Long Wait Times
Teal has encouraged World Cup ticket holders who lack a valid visa to visit the consulate and request an expedited appointment. The fast-track option is designed to separate tournament-related applications from the general visa queue, which has seen wait times stretch to roughly 100 days for standard tourist visa interviews.
The consulate’s doubled processing capacity, now serving about 1,000 people daily, is intended to relieve pressure on the existing backlog. Still, Teal warned applicants to plan well ahead. A standard B1/B2 tourist visa application costs $185 (approximately 3,400 pesos). A separate “visa integrity fee” of $435 was announced by the U.S. State Department for implementation starting October 2025, though a consulate spokesperson previously told reporters it had not yet taken effect.
Not Just Mexican Nationals in the Queue
Tijuana’s consulate handles applications from far more than Baja California residents. Thousands of foreign nationals travel to the border city specifically to apply for U.S. visas, adding to the volume. Citizens from Central and South American countries regularly use the Tijuana consulate as their nearest processing point, and World Cup demand has intensified that pattern.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held across 16 venues in three countries. U.S. host cities include Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Seattle, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Atlanta, and Boston. For fans in Baja California, the closest match venue is SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, roughly a three-hour drive north of the Tijuana border crossing.
What Baja Residents Should Know
Anyone expecting Mexican friends or family to visit during the tournament should be aware that standard consulate appointment availability is tighter than usual. Routine visa renewals and first-time applications unrelated to the World Cup may face longer waits through the summer. The consulate has not announced an end date for the express appointment program.
This story was first reported by Zeta Tijuana.