As the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches (June 11–July 19, 2026), organizations relocating employees to, from, or within the United States, Canada, and Mexico are entering the highest‑risk period for mobility disruption. With approximately three months remaining before kickoff, conditions across immigration processing, housing availability, transportation infrastructure, and destination services are already tightening.
For global employers, this final 90-day window is no longer about long-term forecasting. It is about protecting in-flight relocations, stabilizing the employee experience, and avoiding preventable cost escalation under constrained conditions. Decisions made now, particularly around timing, policy flexibility, and employee communication, will determine whether assignments proceed as planned or unravel under operational pressure.
Among all mobility components, immigration processing will experience the earliest and least flexible pressure, making it the first constraint employers will encounter.
1. Immigration and Entry Processing
Pressure Peaks in the Final 90 Days
U.S. government agencies have confirmed that millions of international visitors are expected to arrive during the tournament period, with federal authorities already operating under increased workload assumptions. While the U.S. Department of State has introduced FIFA PASS to expedite visitor visa interviews for ticket-holding fans, this program does not apply to corporate relocations, work visas, or dependents.
Public reporting confirms that consular appointment delays and enhanced screening will persist through early summer 2026, even for travelers not attending the event, further constraining already limited processing capacity.
For employers, this means immigration becomes the earliest and least flexible constraint in the relocation lifecycle.
Immediate Mobility Risks (March–June 2026)
As a result, organizations should anticipate several near-term mobility risks:
- Delays for employees and dependents entering the U.S. on employment-based or accompanying visas
- Increased scrutiny at ports of entry during peak arrival windows
- Reduced flexibility for urgent or short-notice international assignments
How Employers Can Respond Now
- Avoid initiating new international relocations into host countries unless they are clearly business-critical
- Lock in entry dates well before mid-June wherever possible
- Prepare relocating employees for longer border processing times, enhanced screening, and more frequent documentation checks
These actions should be treated as risk controls, not discretionary enhancements.
During the tournament window, immigration timing becomes a structural constraint, not a variable employers can assume will self-correct.
2. Housing Availability
Localized Shortages Will Drive Cost and Timing Risk
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will create predictable but uneven housing disruption across North America. While matches span three countries, demand will concentrate sharply in specific metro areas and specific weeks, placing sustained pressure on short‑term housing markets throughout June and July 2026.
WHR analysis, supported by corporate housing supplier data, indicates that every host city will experience a housing impact during the tournament. Risk levels vary by market, but even large metros with historically deep inventory will face constraints due to match density, peak‑season tourism overlap, and already elevated baseline occupancy.
Housing risk during the tournament is not solely a supply issue. Transportation disruptions on match days, including congestion zones, extended road closures, and limited ride-hailing access, mean proximity to stadiums does not necessarily translate into convenience for working assignees.
Markets expected to experience the most acute housing pressure include:
- Extreme risk: New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas/Arlington, Miami
- High risk: San Francisco Bay Area, Boston/Foxborough, Seattle, Atlanta
- Medium‑high risk: Houston, Philadelphia
- International host cities: Mexico City (extreme), Toronto, and Vancouver (high)
In practice, this means:
- Central housing in extreme‑risk markets is likely to sell out months in advance
- Minimum stay requirements and price escalation will become common
- Markets that appear manageable early may tighten rapidly during match weeks
Immediate Mobility Risks (March–June 2026)
- Reduced availability of furnished housing beginning late spring 2026
- Extended minimum stays and fewer flexible lease options
- Increased cost exposure for in-progress relocations
How Employers Can Respond Now
- Secure housing early for spring and early‑summer arrivals
- Broaden location criteria beyond traditional city cores
- Treat policy flexibility as a risk‑management tool, not an exception driven by preference
During the World Cup window, housing constraints are structural and market-driven, not negotiable. Organizations that plan early preserve cost control, employee experience, and duty‑of‑care standards; those that delay face constrained choices and elevated risk.
3. Transportation and Destination Services
Operational Disruption Becomes Likely
A recent report cited by U.S. media warns that the U.S. air travel system is not fully prepared for World Cup-level volume, highlighting TSA screening constraints and customs staffing shortages. In the final 90 days before kickoff, these constraints shift from theoretical to operational realities for relocating employees.
At the same time, destination services capacity will tighten alongside transportation infrastructure, increasing execution risk well before match days begin. WHR is observing early indicators that appointment availability, service sequencing, and on-the-ground coordination will become increasingly constrained as host cities absorb both event-driven demand and ongoing workforce mobility.
Employees arriving during this window may encounter:
- Congested airports
- Limited flight rebooking options
- Reduced availability for home‑finding, school search, and settling-in services
Immediate Mobility Risks
Taken together, these conditions translate into several near-term execution risks for active relocations:
- Missed or compressed appointment windows for in-person destination services
- Delayed assignment start dates driven by travel disruption or service backlogs
- Increased reliance on interim, phased, or temporary solutions
- Elevated stress for employees and accompanying families navigating unfamiliar and congested conditions
- Advance and compress destination services earlier in the relocation timeline to reduce exposure to peak congestion
- Deliberately resequence services rather than relying on standard pacing assumptions
- Defer nonessential in-person services until post-tournament, where feasible
- Expand the use of virtual destination support where appropriate
- Reinforce clear, written guidance and realistic expectations with relocating employees before arrival
4. Security and Border Controls
Heightened Visibility Through Summer 2026
The U.S. government has confirmed a multi-agency security posture for the tournament involving DHS, CBP, TSA, and international partners. While officials emphasize that the event will be “welcoming,” enhanced enforcement presence and screening is expected throughout the summer.
Immediate Mobility Risks
Taken together, these conditions translate into several near-term execution risks for active relocations:
- Longer inspection times at borders
- Additional document verification for dependents
- Increased employee anxiety, particularly for first-time international assignees
How Employers Can Respond Now
- Provide clear, written travel guidance to relocating employees
- Ensure all documents are valid well beyond the intended stay
- Offer proactive family communication to reduce uncertainty
Clear communication functions as a stabilizer during periods of heightened enforcement. Employers that over‑communicate reduce both compliance risk and unnecessary escalation at points of entry.
5. The Immediate Post-Event Effect
Disruption Will Not End on July 19
The World Cup’s operational footprint does not end with the final whistle. Historical experience from large-scale sporting events shows that mobility disruption continues after closing ceremonies, as visa backlogs, housing normalization, and infrastructure congestion unwind unevenly.
Employers should not assume that late July or August relocations will be unaffected. In many cases, post-event moves experience delays precisely because systems are recovering rather than fully reset.
Planning fall assignments now, rather than waiting for perceived “normalization”, reduces exposure to residual bottlenecks and false expectations.
Final Takeaway for Mobility Leaders
WHR is available to help organizations evaluate readiness, refine mobility strategies, and support relocations through this high‑risk period.
From Planning to Execution Under Constraint
The final 90 days before the 2026 FIFA World Cup represent the highest‑risk period for employee relocations into North America. The challenge is no longer strategy; it is execution under constrained conditions.
Organizations that navigate this period successfully will be those that:
- Adjust timelines now, not reactively
- Set realistic expectations with employees and business leaders
- Treat mobility policy as an active risk‑control mechanism, not simply a benefit framework
As market conditions become more constrained, proactive planning offers meaningful advantages in execution, cost management, and employee confidence. Employers that engage early maintain more options as the tournament approaches.