Prioritised Visa Appointments Available for World Cup 2026

Patrick Irving24/11/2025 6:05 am23/11/2025

Image credit: AGIF / Shutterstock.com

Fans travelling to the United States for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will now be eligible for the FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS). The agreement will grant ticket holders access to priority Visa appointments, ensuring safe travel to the games due to take place across the USA, Mexico and Canada.

Landmark Agreement

In an announcement made on Instagram, FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, expressed his pride about the initiative.

“Today was a very important day – the launch of the FIFA PASS is part of the vision of the United States and of FIFA in showing that America welcomes the world at the FIFA World Cup 2026,” he said via press release.

The agreement was made at the White House and was attended by President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Mark Rubio, the White House Task Force and Mr Infantino.

Safety Concerns

The US Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, outlined the reasons for the new initiative, highlighting the nation’s commitment to ensuring the event can proceed safely.

“We’re making sure that people who come in on these tourist Visas are coming in thoroughly vetted just like anyone who would travel here, and they would come and enjoy our country and then they would go home and go home in a timely manner, and we’re excited to partner with the President on creating memories for people around the world that will make them not just fall in love with the United States but also fall in love with the sport of soccer,” she said via press release.

With over six million tickets available for matches held across 16 different cities, preparations within the United States will guarantee the safety and security of the event will have no margin for error. The hope for those travelling to the United States to celebrate the first-ever 48-team World Cup is that the US government and FIFA will be able to deliver on the Secretary of State’s promise of “the greatest and safest World Cup in history.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Patrick Irving16/04/2026 8:55 am16/04/2026

Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.