A member of the House of Representatives has submitted a formal oral question to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates over the mass refusal of US visas to Moroccan football supporters seeking to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The question, submitted by MP Hanane Aterkin of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) on June 19, calls on the ministry to coordinate with relevant authorities to provide transparent justifications for visa rejections and to establish mechanisms enabling affected fans to recover or be compensated for non-refundable expenses, including visa application fees.
In a previous statement to Hespress English, Azzedine Al Attaraoui, head of the Sports Association of Moroccan National Team Fans, said 40 of 42 applicants from Casablanca, Marrakech, Fès and Tétouan were refused without explanation.
Fans had purchased match tickets of around $500 each, with some buying three-match packages totalling $1,500, and paid visa fees of 1,800 MAD, with total individual losses reaching up to 20,000 MAD. None of those costs are refundable.
Mourad Hamana, founder of the Sbouaa supporters group, also told Hespress English that of nearly 50 coordinators who applied, only six were approved.
Most rejections were issued under Section 214(b), invoked when consular officers are not satisfied an applicant intends to return home. “All of us have stable situations in Morocco and no intention of migrating,” Hamana said.
US State Department data shows Morocco’s adjusted B-visa refusal rate nearly doubled in a single year, rising from 14.45% in FY2024 to 26.91% in FY2025.
Under Morocco’s Constitution, oral questions directed at ministers are scheduled for plenary sessions by the House speaker’s office.
No response date has been set.
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