Sideline Conversations: Travel To And Between The World Cup Host Countries (Video)

As the world prepares for the FIFA World Cup 2026 across Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, Sideline Conversations takes you beyond the pitch to explore the legal and commercial issues shaping the tournament. Hosted by Aarij S. Wasti (Gowling WLG, Toronto), Marlon Hill (WSHC+B, Miami), and Juan Carlos Partida (EC Rubio, Mexico City), your cross-border legal guides to the world's biggest sporting event.

In Episode 5, the trio is joined by guests from Fragomen to discuss hot topics around visa restrictions, processing delays, cross-border travel between host countries, and the limits of FIFA-related priority systems. Together, they also explore what media and event workers need for entry and how host cities are addressing human rights protections.

For fans planning their World Cup trips, Canadian businesses supporting related events, and professionals working behind the scenes, these practical insights are a must-watch.

Watch the full conversation below.

MARLON HILL: Welcome back world. Happy New Year. I think we can still say that after a few weeks here into January. I am attorney Marlon Hill with Weiss Serota, otherwise known as Clutch, right here on the Sidelines. And great to bring back this conversation on the Sideline, conversations with my good friends, Aarij Wasti in Toronto, Canada, on the Sideline. also have my good friend down there in La Ciudad de Mexico, JC Partida, also known as Zayu.

But we have a few friends from our-- a few mascots coming to us from the Fragomen FC Club on the other side of the Sideline. These guys know what they're doing when you're getting ready to travel and traverse the world, the entire circumference of this globe, you definitely want to contact Fragomen FC. We have our good friend Rick Lamanna, all the way from Toronto, one of the largest Italian populations in the diaspora world from Italy.

We have our good friend Jake Minister, who's also coming up from another host city in Boston, the United States, where it's about negative 11 degrees compared to 70 degrees here in Miami. And then last but not least, I don't know what the temperature is in Mexico City, but Sergio Flores is joining us, another member of the Fragomen FC team.

Gentlemen, [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH], whatever language-- I know you guys over there at Fragomen speak several languages there. People's flavor, before we even jump into that, I want to turn it over to my good friend, Aarij, before I jump into the Fragomen FC Sideline, Aarij, we've had this conversation here on the Sideline now for about four months. What have we gotten to? How have we gotten here now we're in 2026 less than I think 132 days, I believe, to the World Cup kickoff in Mexico City? Where have we been on the Sideline?

AARIJ WASTI: Yeah, so look, we've come a long way as a group, as we move closer to this tournament, including, of course, adopting our new mascot names. But really where we left off the conversation at the end of 2025 was just after the final draw announcement, as well as the schedule announcement. And boy, has a lot hit the headlines since?

So we just quickly go through this. And I think it provides some very interesting and flavorful context for an immigration-related discussion. So there has continued to be a lot of dismay and angst, not least of all by our friend JC in Mexico City at ticket pricing and ticket availability.

As a result of that pressure, of course, FIFA created a special category of pricing for FAs, but then announced that prize money would be increased, that indeed, this money was necessary for football development, but just day before yesterday admitted that indeed the secondary market would continue to inflate pricing.

So I'm not sure where we're left with that as fans. You're justifying high ticket prices, but you're saying you may have not seen the worst of it yet. So JC, not great news on that front. Then we come to immigration. The US announced massive headlines, 75 countries immigration visa ban. We'll get into it, but to be clear, those are not visitor visa bans. Those are long-term immigration bans. Jake we'll get to that later.

We had a little bit of military action to the South of the US Border. But I think more relevant for us, the threat by the US of potentially taking direct action on cartels in Mexico, Colombia, and other countries adds to a little bit of angst, not just in the South, but indeed the world over. We saw a lot of-- I know Marlon, you and I were following very closely the AFCON final in Rabat-- a little bit of mayhem, unfortunately, in the final between Senegal and Morocco, that Senegal ultimately--

MARLON HILL: That's football. That's football.

AARIJ WASTI: That's football for you. And it provides potentially an interesting conversation as we do a handover from '26 to 2030. Lots of discussions around Davos, centered around Greenland and NATO, Canada's historic trade deal with China that the US hasn't reacted to very well, is threatened 100% tariffs.

It once again puts into great question the relationship of the two countries now, as you say, 160 days out from this tournament. There's been very unfortunate unrest, including loss of life in Minneapolis in the US. Just this morning, the IOC announcing that ICE would play a role in security logistics in Cortina, Milano, which, as you can imagine, is causing a little bit of-- yeah, it's unsettling news for some of our Italian friends.

Some rumors, and I think they are still rumors of canceled ticket applications and hotel rooms as a result of all of these headlines. We'll see how true that is. And then, of course, we had just off Davos, the German Federation calling for a meeting to discuss a potential boycott. My understanding is this morning, they ultimately decided against any such resolution, but just the fact that we're having that conversation.

And last but not least, our old friend Sepp Blatter enters the conversation again and says people must stay away from this World Cup. Now, does anybody care? I don't know. But there it is. So, wow, there--

MARLON HILL: I don't know that. I don't know, Aarij, if that's much drama, you're not talking about much happening there impacting the World Cup. I think that Jake would agree with me. Jake, coming to us from Boston, you guys are the grittiest sports fans ever. What's the mood there? All of this drama that are just talking about that's happening out there in the geopolitical universe, what is the mood that you are hearing, Jake, from your world on Fragomen FC?

JAKE MINISTER: Yeah, thanks for having me on. I think that everyone's very excited for the World Cup. Obviously, there are things going on in the US right now that are making headlines all over the world that are taking attention away from the World Cup, and some of those are related to the World Cup.

I think there's a lot of misinformation out there. Aarij, you had spoken about the 75-- the travel ban on January 1 for 75 countries. You're correct. So that travel ban for those 75 countries only applies to immigrant visas, which are green card applications which are being processed abroad.

So even if you're in the United States and you had some sort of immigrant process going on, if you're doing an adjustment of status to a green card in the US, you can still move forward. It's just outside of the US if you're doing it at a consulate. It's just one of the multiple ways that you can process a green card.

There is a ban on about 40 countries, though, that cannot obtain visitor visas. And really, what we're seeing here is that if you do not already have a valid visitor visa, you obtain one to come into the United States. I'll go through some of these countries in a bit. And there's one kind of exception to this is that, say, you're a national of a country on the ban, but you do have dual nationality.

You use the other passport that's not on that list to enter the US. For instance, let's just go with Cote d'Ivoire. You're a dual national of Cote d'Ivoire and France. You use your French passport. You're fine. It's not going to apply to you. But if you wanted to use your Ivory Coast passport, that ban would apply to you.

So looking at the list of countries that have qualified and may qualify for the World Cup, we have Cote d'Ivoire on there. Haiti, Iran, Senegal, all have qualified. All are on that ban. So in terms of fans or people not associated with the federations themselves, there are going to be logistical issues with getting visas and coming into the US.

MARLON HILL: Do you think that's a competitive advantage, Jake, a competitive-- or disadvantage to those teams that don't have their fans here? Or do we have enough Haitians or folks from Cote d'Ivoire here in the United States?

JAKE MINISTER: It's a good question. We have a pretty big Haitian population here in Boston. And I was happy to see that there is a game here, or a match here. And I think you'll have lots of Haitian fans that are at the match. I don't think it's an advantage or disadvantage. I just think that it's terrible for those fans that want to travel and support their team. That's really the gist of it.

MARLON HILL: Well, given this expedited visa consular processing for visitors that are coming to the United States, in particular in terms of the processing of their visa, how effective do you think that would be? When should fans start applying for their nonimmigrant visas from your view?

JAKE MINISTER: Yeah. So there's this mechanism called FIFA pass. It's a priority visa interview scheduling for the World Cup. And once you buy your tickets, you can opt into this system to then try to get that expedited visa appointment. It's only going to help with scheduling, so it doesn't guarantee that you're going to get your visa approved. They make it very clear on the website.

If you're covered by that proclamation that we had just discussed, your country's on there, you're not going to be able to secure the visa. You can still go to the appointment. They're likely not going to provide you with the visa stamp unless something changes from now until the World Cup.

There's also this visa bond pilot program where some countries, all have to pay a specific bond in order to come-- individuals of specific countries have to pay a bond to come into the United States. The amounts vary by country, and it doesn't weigh that requirement. So some individuals might be paying thousands of dollars for tickets and then thousands of dollars for bonds. And then I don't yet know the mechanism to get that money back once you returned to your home country.

The other thing that I want people to be aware of is that there are countries that have single-use visas. So you might have a federation that has a game in the US and then a game in Mexico and then back to the US. Those fans or anyone from that country might only have a single-entry US visa.

So they think that they can come into the US and then travel to Mexico to see the team and then back into the US, they're not going to be allowed entry back into the United States. So it's really important for people to understand whether or not your visa stamp is going to allow for multiple entries.

MARLON HILL: Interesting. Before we go over to our friends across the border in Canada and Mexico, I want to ask you one last final question, which is probably the elephant in the room with regards to immigration enforcement and the mood. What should fans and other delegates and officials related to the World Cup expect? How should they conduct themselves in terms of the current mood right now?

And I'm sure the temperature may die up or it may go up. What's your view being in the weeds from Fragomen FC? And what would you say to the World Cup world right now as it relates to immigration, travel to the United States, and enforcement in and around stadiums and other venues?

JAKE MINISTER: Yeah, I would just say that be aware of what's happening. When you're going in for your visa interview, make sure that you're up to date on all the requirements, make sure that your social media is open and public so that officers can review your social media. That's one of the latest requirements that has been updated.

When you're here, just enjoy yourself. Follow the rules. Given the headlines, everything going on in the country right now, I know that it is nerve-wracking to think that there are going to be these federal agents that are at games. But we did see it over the Copa América in the summer.

There were no headlines or major issues from those events, even saw fans holding Guatemala flag with the officers in the stadium. So I think that we'll see what happens between now and then, but plan to have a good time and enjoy yourself when you're here. I think that's the major goal regardless of the headlines.

MARLON HILL: Awesome, awesome. JC, what's the [SPANISH] in Mexico City coming to Mexico visit? Tell us. And Sergio, tell us, what is it like to plan to travel to Mexico now?

JUAN PARTIDA: As I said in the previous cast, now the feeling of the World Cup coming into Mexico is starting to be felt. It's taken some time, but now people is really interested in the World Cup again. Tickets are really hard to come by. I don't know anybody close or a friend of a friend of a friend to tell me that have tickets already for the World Cup. I don't know if Sergio already has one. But if he has a couple, I might jump in with him to the stadium. But we'll see, we'll see.

And on the immigration side, Sergio, thank you again for being with us. We were-- Marlon and Jake were discussing the one time visa entries to the US. But have you heard, or is there any chance that there would be any visas to travel seamlessly between Mexico, the US, and Canada to be issued to any visitors for the World Cup? Have you heard anything? Is this happening or not?

SERGIO FLORES: Of course JC. And thank you for having me, Aarij and Marlon. Nice to be here. Thank you very much. So it's a great question, JC. So first of all, I don't have tickets yet. I hope to have them eventually. But yes, it's something that's happened to me as well. I only have one friend that has a assured tickets for the inauguration of the World Cup. And that's the only one.

Now, regarding the visa and the immigration aspect, JC, so I don't know if it's a seamlessly visa to go from Mexico to Canada and the US. But fortunately, there is the other way around. Mexico, it's a very immigration-friendly country. And as you know, we have two separate lists as immigration.

The visa waiver nationalities, which is basically North America, most of the Schengen area countries, some countries from Asia, and some countries from LATAM, and the nonvisa waived countries, those ones need to have a previously issued Mexican visa in order to be able to enter Mexico as visitors to enjoy the World Cup.

There is not yet, JC, a visa specifically for the World Cup or any other that makes a smoother process, like the one in the US that Jake just told us about. But the great thing about Mexico is that even for the nonvisa waived nationals, JC, we do have this exception program, that whenever you do have already a US visa, Canadian visa, Schengen area visa, or Japanese visa, you're able to use them to enter Mexico as if you were a visa waived national.

So even if you're, for example, from a country that needs a visa right now, like Brazil, for example-- Brazils are World Cup heavy guys. They really enjoy football. They are, at some point in time, the best in the world. If they don't have a visa, but they do you they have a US or a Canadian visa, they can use that to enter Mexico, and they will be given a certain amount of time to be here.

It's always useful to have return tickets, although not mandatory. But if you do have your return tickets, your tickets to the US or Canada for the next games, it will also help to make your processes smoother to the entry in Mexico.

MARLON HILL: I want one way. Can I use my Jamaican passport instead of my US passport to enter Mexico, Sergio?

SERGIO FLORES: Precisely, the Jamaican, you will need a visa before, Marlon. But if you do have your US, you will be able to enter through that.

JUAN PARTIDA: That's correct.

MARLON HILL: Which one should I use?

SERGIO FLORES: I think at this time, if you do have tickets to enter Mexico, your US passport will be the best way to go.

MARLON HILL: There you go.

SERGIO FLORES: But we do love Jamaica as well. We match every time. Mexico and Jamaica, we always go head to head to the World Cup.

JUAN PARTIDA: Yeah, yeah. And we'll be there cheering for Jamaica in the March game. So we'll do that for you Marlon. And just following up on this, and you mentioned correctly Mexico, it's pretty much a visa-friendly country, no many requirements for except for certain countries.

So have you heard any governmental news regarding the adoption of the same system as the US, like the FIFA pass, in order to expedite visa process for any of those visitors coming from countries that need visa?

SERGIO FLORES: That's a great question, JC. And not yet, not yet. It has not been announced yet. But we are super friendly with the visas. And I think just piggybacking on the progress of the US and Canada, I think we will make it together. Of course, there are governmental plans. As you know, we do have the Kukulcan plan, which kukulcan is our feathered serpent, the mythological creature there.

And it's a program from the government to assist on several aspects, JC, like security. It will be a tandem between the municipal, local, and federal governments, specialized in attacking things related to trafficking, to, of course, corruption, and taking very good care in specific of women, children, and, of course, journalists, which have been a thing in Mexico over the past few years.

So they are putting a lot of emphasis there. And of course, they're making a lot of events. Like you said, you can feel it in the air. There's a lot of people just rooting for the World Cup. We have Mini Mundialito, mini World Cups on several areas, including a robotic one where robots play soccer to each other.

So I think everyone's getting the hype of the World Cup. But on the other side, in the contrast, as you said, tickets are very hard to find. So I don't think a lot of nationals are going to be able to attend an actual game and get to see the Mexican national team.

JUAN PARTIDA: Yeah on that issue, I think the Mexican government is trying to work directly with FIFA for the government to be authorized to put fan zones in a lot of places, not just the World Cup venues. So we hope to have fan zones in every major city in Mexico to be able to watch the games. Last question--

MARLON HILL: I'd hope for that.

JUAN PARTIDA: Yeah. Last question I have for you, Sergio, and also related to the issues that were discussed earlier by Aarij and Marlon, which is the politics coming into play right now before the World Cup. And given these complicated politics around the world, including our region, our country, do you think that cross-border cooperation with the US be in play or [AUDIO OUT]

SERGIO FLORES: There is, JC. And yes, Mexico has been historically soccer fan country. There will be a lot of migration. We will need to go to-- the US and Canada will be wanting to do that. And the President Sheinbaum has announced that there will be cooperation between the three authorities, just a joint cooperation between Canada, US, and Mexico, as you said, to make as effective and efficient the flow of fans, and, of course, stakeholders through the World Cup.

We will have 30 inauguration in the Estadio Azteca, which is the first stadium that does so. So it's a lot of hype there as well. But international cooperation, of course, it's to be expected. The details have not been very detailed right now, unshared. But I think when we start getting a little bit closer to the time, we will have more information about that. But definitely, there will be cooperation between the three countries.

AARIJ WASTI: We had a little bit of a case study this last weekend with the arrest of the ex-Canadian Olympic snowboarder, Ryan Wedding. You've got a Canadian national on the run in Mexico, arrested by the U-- All right, all right. JC, what's up?

JUAN PARTIDA: [AUDIO OUT]

AARIJ WASTI: I know. I know. I know. But listen, listen, let's be honest. For the Netflix film that's to come, and it might star Marlon, because Marlon-- yeah. The reality is that there was a shootout, and he was ultimately arrested by the US authorities.

MARLON HILL: Allegedly.

AARIJ WASTI: And when he was brought back to the United States, the RCMP and the US authorities stood together, having cooperated with the Mexican authorities. So I think we often talk about test events in the run up to World Cups. I think the reason they finally got Ryan Wedding is just bad timing for him. They needed a test event on cooperation, and it worked.

SERGIO FLORES: But that's a nice Netflix movie, Aarij. I like it. I like your idea.

MARLON HILL: Aarij, listen, man, I'm not going to make you the spokesperson for the prime minister's office of Canada, but what's the temperature in Canada, traveling to Canada, across the border to Toronto and Vancouver? What are you and Rick seeing?

RICK LAMANNA: It's business as usual, really, similar to Mexico. Canada hasn't really introduced anything special for the World Cup, which is in contrast, if I recall, to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where, especially in that event, a lot of the venues need to be built or upgraded.

So the government at the time, was more than happy to provide expedited processing, smoother pathways for employees of businesses that were contracted by either the organizing committee or the federal government to build certain events. The Sea-to-Sky Highway being just one example out in Vancouver to Whistler.

So the recommendation really is, apply soon. If you have tickets, you should apply soon to make your entry process simple. And based on what we know now-- we don't know yet which countries will be playing in the knockout games. Toronto is hosting one. Vancouver is hosting two, including a round of 16.

But based on the countries we know now-- we know Germany is here. We know Belgium is here. Croatia, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, those are the visa-exempt countries. So for nationals of those countries, really, you go online. You get what's called an ETA, similar to the US's ESTA-- $7, five minutes.

Electronic travel authorization comes back to you usually within a few minutes, maybe a couple hours. And you're good to get on a plane. Off you come. Then we have the visa-required nationals. So we have Ghana, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, and Egypt. Nationals of these countries--

AARIJ WASTI: And Qatar?

RICK LAMANNA: And Qatar, yes. Qatar is there, too. That's correct. Of course, they're in Canada's group. And I think I said on one of our episodes, good on them for qualifying after hosting. And let's hope as they have-- and not so-- or incredibly biased fan of the Canadian national team, hopefully, they're the whipping boy of the group, at least for our purposes here. Yes, and Qatar.

So nationals of those countries will require what's called a temporary resident visa. Medical examinations will not be required if you're coming to stay less than six months, which, of course, will be the case for almost everyone coming specifically for the World Cup, but it's important to file those applications now. If you have proof of return travel, as Sergio said, from Mexico, proof of having tickets, proof of stay, proof of financial resources--

AARIJ WASTI: A lottery ticket count?

RICK LAMANNA: Well, it might, because you can say, look, I want it-- as long as you have a purpose to come. In the Canadian context, as long as you have a valid reason to come-- that could be as simple as coming to vacation during a World Cup and hoping to get to a game.

As long as you have the financial ability to support yourself while you're here and you can prove you have a legitimate reason for which you need to return to your home country and a letter from your employer saying, yeah, so-and-so works here. We fully anticipate that they will be returning to their job, even if you have things that you own property, things like that you're going back to, all of which is fine.

And then we have Panama, which is what we call a hybrid nation in terms of visa requirements. So typically, a Panamanian national would require visa. However, if they hold a valid nonimmigrant visa or have held a Canadian visa in the last 10 years, they know they do not require a fresh TRV.

And the difference here really is, can I just get on a plane and go, or do I have to plan my travel? Well, what's called now BMO Field, which I think will be called Toronto Stadium as per FIFA rules, my own personal view is I wish that in Canada, we had a little bit more foresight on the Toronto front. I would have liked the stadium to have been renovated more for the long term.

My understanding is a lot of these are temporary seats. I think there was an generational opportunity with the World Cup to do something that you could look back on and say, wow, that's a testament. We have a lot of Canadians playing in Europe, a lot of transfer news in this recent transfer window, Jonathan David at Juventus. Alphonso Davies is back. The team looks great. I can't say enough about our coach, American by birth and by nationality, but perhaps Canadian in his heart.

MARLON HILL: He has a visa.

RICK LAMANNA: Yes, he does. If the team does well, he might be given honorary citizenship, much like they did in Greece when they won the 2004 Euro for their German coach. But I think, look, the team-- some people outside Canada might call it a surprise, but if you've watched this team for the last few years, and especially even the lead up to the last World Cup, a successful outcome here, getting the round of 16, I don't think would be much of a surprise.

AARIJ WASTI: Now that Jake is gone, Rick, now we can talk openly.

RICK LAMANNA: Yes.

AARIJ WASTI: Jake talked about, have a good time in the United States. Everything's fine. We're going to hold flags together. Look, things may not go as planned.

RICK LAMANNA: Sure.

AARIJ WASTI: Do you foresee challenges on the Canadian border with more fans than anticipated, perhaps fans changing their minds and staying in Canada longer and not going to the US? What's your read of that thermometer?

RICK LAMANNA: So I think really-- it's a good question. I think really what fans want to be aware of is if you're coming here and you're coming to Canada and then intend to go to the US from here, just be prepared. I think Jake hit the nail on the head. Just have all your documents, be prepared. Understand what your visa allows you to do and what it doesn't allow you to do.

Have all of your evidence where you stay, how long you staying there, do you have your tickets? Be prepared, especially with your phone, if you're bringing a laptop, whatever. But make sure that everything is open and available for the officer to look at.

MARLON HILL: What are those things in the folder, Rick, that they should have in their person? What are the priority things that it should have?

RICK LAMANNA: Like I said, you want proof of the reason for--

AARIJ WASTI: Purpose.

RICK LAMANNA: --your purpose of your entry, so proof of that. Where are you staying? How long are you staying there? Do you have return travel home or to another destination? Your phone should be open, and you should be prepared to show an officer what is in your phone if they have any concerns.

Fact of the matter is the people that get their phone checked, the number is very minuscule. But you don't want to be that one person that says, oh, why do I have to do this? Especially if you plan on driving over, obviously, Toronto and Vancouver are border cities. You could theoretically be driving over.

But I think for the most part, as long as you have those documents, you should be OK. I think Jake made a good point about the Copa América. There was a lot of concern leading up to that tournament. And again, a lot of those countries are-- well, they're all South American.

So I think this is going to be a massive event. And I'm actually thinking about two years ahead. I'm not going backwards but two years ahead for the LA Olympics. And I think, if I'm reading this correctly, the US is going to be very careful about how it conducts itself as a host of the world, because it has the Olympics coming up in two years-- everything, yeah, from a customer service standpoint, from a welcoming standpoint.

Also, there's a lot of business considerations as well. Investors, visitors, a lot of these things come into play as well. I don't think that's lost on anyone in the upper echelons of the administration as well. And how they're perceived for a World Cup could definitely impact what happens two years from now in LA. So I think that's something to be mindful of as well.

AARIJ WASTI: Coming to invited guests now, Rick, you're obviously going to have a lot of media coming back and forth across the borders, particularly given the way the tournament's been kind of segmented by geography. So Seattle, San Francisco, and Vancouver, sort of a cluster together, and then you obviously got the northeast and Toronto. And then you've got a lot of FIFA stuff that'll be moving across the border. Can you give us a little bit of thoughts in terms of exemption criteria and where there may still be red flags in terms of denials?

RICK LAMANNA: Yeah. That's a good question. I think the cliched answer would be, well, it all depends on your circumstances. And in the Canadian context, really a lot of times, it's based on what you're doing, but just as importantly, what you're not doing.

So if you are not participating in the Canadian labor market, there are opportunities for you to enter without the need for work authorization. You'd be work permit-exempt, is what we call in our world. So unless you're actually participating in the Canadian labor market, you're being paid by a Canadian entity, you are competing with a Canadian citizen with regard to what you do versus what a Canadian citizen or permanent resident could be doing, for the most part, you would be deemed to be a work permit-exempt.

And this is not a plug, but if you are unsure, you should contact an immigration specialist or professional or lawyer to be sure. Oftentimes, the employer will do this on behalf of its employees who are required to, as you said, travel across borders for a tournament like this. But if you are unsure, it never hurts just to make a phone call, send an email to just ask questions.

This is what I'm doing. This is how long I'm doing it for. This is how I get paid, et cetera, et cetera. So that someone can give you that peace of mind that may, may be helpful to you. Because you're right, you cross a border and it's a very lonely place. You're at an airport. You're in secondary, or you're at a land crossing. It's a very lonely place.

AARIJ WASTI: One would argue that borders can be the loneliest place.

RICK LAMANNA: And sometimes an officer may use certain nomenclature or verbiage not to trick someone, but there are certain words that describe what you're actually doing. I'm just here for work. Well, that would cause a flag for an officer. But it doesn't mean you're actually working as per the immigration regulations.

That could cause you to be taken to secondary and now questioned. And like you said, it could be a very lonely and intimidating place for some people who've never experienced it before. So you just want to be very careful about how you describe your activities.

MARLON HILL: Sergio, would you say the same for Mexico media, talent, artists, professionals that may be coming to work for a corporate entity or for federation? They would have to go through the same type of process in terms of working in Mexico as well?

SERGIO FLORES: It's pretty similar, Marlon. So yes, like Rick said, it's very important to make your intentions clear. Also here, if you say I'm just coming to work, that can be construed as many things. But in Mexico, when you enter as a visitor, like you're visa waiver national or you have any of the exemptions we talked about, you get these FMM form, the multiple immigration form, which basically allows you to perform work-related activities, as long as you constrain yourself to certain criteria.

The first one is that you cannot receive any kind of remuneration from a Mexican source. So you're coming to work. You're coming to cover the World Cup. You're a journalist. But you're still being paid by Qatar, or by France, by your home country. We're good. You cannot identify yourself as a local workforce, as a local employee, like, yes, sir, I work for X company in Mexico. No, of course, you cannot do that.

And the other thing is that you should not surpass the time given to you at the point of entry. And, of course, this depends on the thing you're claiming to come to do. Like, hey, I'm covering this match of the World Cup or the whole Mexico part of the World Cup. How long are you coming for? 30 days, 60 days, 15 days. They will give you that amount of time. Make sure that you do not surpass that time. And you should be OK.

Also like, what Rick said, kind of job that will make the authorities suspicious or make you go to second filters. Do have a letter of your patron now from your company saying, hey, he is indeed covering this match or this World Cup stage, and then he's go back. Have your course credit courses at hand, of course.

And you would think it's normal, but sometimes it's not. Do have your original passport, and it should be intact. I have seen people that have their passport literally bitten by the dog, and they try to use it. And sorry, it was my dog. I understand, but this is no longer a valid document. Other guy just put it through the washer, and it went through the washing cycle, and then through the heating cycle. And it was destroyed. So make sure that your passport is in mint condition. But yeah, it's pretty much that.

MARLON HILL: Sergio, what you're trying to say is, the excuse that the dog ate my homework does not apply here.

SERGIO FLORES: Does not apply here. It didn't apply in high school. It will not apply in immigration.

AARIJ WASTI: Sergio, can I turn to an important and somewhat related topic, and that is of human rights. And then, Rick, maybe we'll come to the more human traffic element that unfortunately exists on the Canada-US border. So there has been talk about this human rights action plan in Mexico with a view to mitigating the risks of worker exploitation, particularly in the hospitality sector, issues like wage theft. What are you seeing in the different states in Mexico in terms of enforcement and proactiveness around these policies?

SERGIO FLORES: That's a great question, Aarij. And actually, we're seeing some great work there. I think there has been a good communication between the three host countries, which are Mexico City, Monterrey up North, and Guadalajara in the center. Those governments in the local and federal spheres of their work, there have been together with the National Human Rights Commission saying [SPANISH] in Spanish.

So they have been trying to have not only talks but action plans to those specific points that you just mentioned, for the trafficking, for the corruption, to make sure that, like we talked about, journalists are safe, that people in general are safe. So they're making a good point to try to show the world that Mexico is capable to doing that. And I think they put a lot of emphasis on that specific point.

AARIJ WASTI: So, Rick, I guess in Canada, worker exploitation maybe is not as much of a concern. But what sort of human rights risks do you see, and what sort of policy endeavors have you noticed from coast to coast here?

RICK LAMANNA: On the work permit front, I think the government has put more of an emphasis on things like compliance. Now, the only trick with that is that they're really only checking people who have work permits or companies who apply for work permits. So if you're an employer that's really screwing the rules, the government is-- at least the immigration function is not really going to know about you.

It's when you file applications and then you augment them or that particular staff with people who shouldn't be working for you, or you're really breaking the rules, or you're forcing people to pay for permits that they shouldn't be paying for and then or paying them on their wages.

So the government has put an emphasis on this sort of activity. They have a public blacklist. Now, the only issue here is that they're doing this at a time when overall, the government is looking to scale back on costs. And that obviously features job cuts in different government departments.

So it's one thing to put an emphasis on it from a monetary standpoint. But if you have less people doing that work, you lose the ability to have those checks across the board. So with what we've seen, definitely there's an emphasis on it. But I hope the government doesn't lose too much steam with not having as many people as they need to have in order to perform the function.

MARLON HILL: Well, Lester, man, we're coming down to the full time here on the Sideline Conversations. Great to have the Fragomen FC team here with us to talk with such a very timely and important topic with less than hundreds of days to the first kickoff in Mexico and also here in the United States and Canada as well.

Gentlemen, I certainly want you to leave us with some very salient advice for our listeners. They are planning their trips, whether they're a fan, media person, professional, give me your top three things that they should be doing right now in the Fragomen FC locker room.

RICK LAMANNA: I'll start.

SERGIO FLORES: Go ahead, Rick.

RICK LAMANNA: Number one, understand whether you need a visa or not. That's just strictly based on your nationality, very easy. And in fact, the government has established a shockingly, a user-friendly interface for people. So that's a good thing. Find out whether visa is required or not.

If you do require visa, understand the documents you need to be included in your visa application, and apply as soon as you can. If you don't require a visa, you have time on your hands. Maybe you get your ETA when you have a few minutes. Get that, book your flights, and have a great time, and watch Canada advance at top of the group.

AARIJ WASTI: Well, before we come to Sergio, and his words of wisdom, Rick, tell me this, how far is Mexico going to go in this?

RICK LAMANNA: How far is Mexico going to go?

AARIJ WASTI: Yes.

RICK LAMANNA: It's interesting--

AARIJ WASTI: Careful.

RICK LAMANNA: No no, no. I'll say this Mexico is a very, very tricky group. But having grown up in Canada my whole life and having seen enough CONCACAF games, I do know that people should not underestimate the difficulty of playing in Mexico, especially in Mexico City. Forget the altitude, the environment, and even though, as we mentioned, who's really going to be in the stands? Will it be those hardcore Mexico fans? Will it be a smattering of corporate and other elements?

AARIJ WASTI: All we know so far is it's none of JC's friends.

RICK LAMANNA: Exactly. Sergio and JC or their friends. We know that. But you underestimate that home field advantage at your peril. I've seen enough Canada games.

AARIJ WASTI: Very diplomatic. But answer the question, how far is it going?

RICK LAMANNA: I will say Mexico gets to the-- so 32 advance after the group stage. I'd say Mexico to the round of 16.

AARIJ WASTI: Beautiful. Sergio, your words of advice.

SERGIO FLORES: Of course. And thank you, Rick. Rick, let's hope for that, perhaps a little bit further. So first of all, plan ahead, plan ahead, plan ahead. It's very important to plan in advance. We're very close to the World Cup. So plan ahead. Once you have seen the nonvisa waiver nationalities, make a checklist with what you need and understand it so you have everything on your folder already ready and you're not the week before or the day before you travel trying to gather everything. That's just the perfect formula for not success, for defeat.

And after that, if you do not fully comprehend everything that you need, do please talk to an immigration attorney just to make sure that they give you the green light like, hey, you're good to go, or you might have missed something. I would say those are the three cornerstones of your travel plans to the World Cup right now.

AARIJ WASTI: Beautiful. And in terms of progression, how far will the US and Canada go in your view?

SERGIO FLORES: So Canada, it also has a tough group. Switzerland is playing good. But I've seen Canada through the last years, and they're just a monster, man. They're just a monster. I think they're very well prepared. I think it's the best Canada we have seen ever.

RICK LAMANNA: Ever.

SERGIO FLORES: So I think they will at least go for the fifth match, at least. I think so. And on the US side-- I know also the Mexico group, they said it's a little bit easier, but it's never easy. South Africa, it's coming with everything, and probably Denmark. So the US, I think Pochettino is-- they're going to pass to the group stage, the first group stage.

And I think most likely they will end up their career there perhaps. I hope they won't. But I think they will. And I know you didn't ask me what for Mexico. I have even a more pessimistic take. I don't think we will pass group stage.

AARIJ WASTI: Well that's--

RICK LAMANNA: Wow.

AARIJ WASTI: Listen, listen.

SERGIO FLORES: South Africa, it's the best. I really want to to root for South Africa. It will be complex. Korea, it's always complex. And if we get Denmark, oh my god.

RICK LAMANNA: Sergio is always that. He's always the pessimist. He's always the pessimist.

AARIJ WASTI: When it comes to our own countries-- that's why we don't talk to Marlon about Jamaica. Yeah, we're not going to talk to Marlon about anything that's happening in the US. It's just too emotional. And obviously, the closer we get-- we're 135 days out. Yes, the nerves start to set in. You can't-- if we feel this way, imagine the players and the coaches.

JUAN PARTIDA: [AUDIO OUT]

SERGIO FLORES: Of course, no local support.

MARLON HILL: Gentlemen, the whistle is about to blow. We don't want to see JC shirtless on the Sideline. We want to thank our good friends from Fragomen FC, Rick Lamanna from Toronto coming to us live there, Jake Minister, all the way from Boston, another host city, and our good friend, the person that's going to lose his Mexican passport, Sergio Flores from Mexico City. Thank you for tuning in here on the Sidelines.

If you have any comments or any suggestions for topics for next few episodes that are coming to you over the next 130-plus days right here on the Sideline, please drop a comment, send us a note. And we will definitely look forward to seeing you on our next episode. Good luck on your tickets. Make sure you plan ahead and get those travel plans and documents in order. Until next time, here on the Sideline. Thank you so much.

SERGIO FLORES: Thank you, everyone.

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