Visa approval crisis threatens to cost 2026 World Cup and L.A. Olympics millions

“I am deeply concerned that there does not seem to be an appetite for making sure that the State Department is funded and prepared and focused on this issue,” said Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles), who last fall led a bipartisan group of 53 lawmakers in urging Antony J. Blinken, President Biden’s secretary of State, to lean into sports diplomacy as the U.S. prepares to host seven major global sporting events, including the World Cup and 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, during the next decade.