In a few months, the United States will host the largest sporting event in the world. Arlington, Texas alone will host nine matches, more than any other city on the planet. Dallas, Philadelphia, and host cities across the country have spent years preparing, investing in infrastructure, training hospitality workers, and building out the economic case for why bringing the World Cup to America would be a generational opportunity.

And now, FIFA is canceling hotel blocks. International demand is lower than projected. A sports management professor at the University of North Texas put it plainly: the policies of the American government in recent years have sent a clear signal to the rest of the world, and many are concerned about coming to the United States.

This is not an abstraction. Every international fan who decides not to make the trip is a hotel room that goes unfilled, a restaurant table that stays empty, a rideshare that never gets requested, a souvenir that never gets purchased. The economic benefits that host cities were promised, and that American workers in hospitality, tourism, and small business were counting on, are being quietly eroded by two compounding problems that have solutions.

The first is the visa process. International fans who want to attend World Cup matches are facing significant difficulty obtaining U.S. travel visas in time. This is a solvable problem. The State Department has the authority to fast-track visa processing for World Cup attendees. It should be doing that right now, not months from now when the matches have already started and the economic window has already closed.

The second is harder but more important. The United States has always been a country that the world wants to visit. That reputation, built over generations, is one of the most powerful economic and diplomatic assets this country has. When international travelers feel unwelcome, they do not just skip one tournament. They reconsider future trips, future investments, and future relationships with American businesses and institutions.

Hosting the World Cup is an opportunity to show the world the best of what America offers. Squandering that opportunity through an inaccessible visa system and a climate of international unwelcome would be a failure not just for host cities but for the country.

Sign this petition to call on the State Department to immediately fast-track visa processing for World Cup attendees, call on the federal government to take concrete steps to restore America's reputation as a welcoming destination for international visitors, and demand that host cities receive federal support to offset the economic impact of reduced international attendance.