FIFA World Cup 2026: A Forex and Travel Guide for Indian Fans

The World Cup is in North America this year. It runs from 11 June to 19 July, spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with 16 host cities and 104 matches in all. India is not playing, but plenty of Indian fans are making the trip for the football and the experience.

If you are one of them, the money side needs a plan before anything else. Three countries means three currencies, three sets of entry rules, and a bigger budget than most overseas holidays. This guide walks through what to sort first.

Start by picking your country

This is the decision that shapes everything else. You have three host countries to choose from, and picking yours early sets up the visa, the currency and the budget cleanly. Most fans base themselves in one country and travel to a few host cities from there.

Where you go decides three things. Your visa. Your currency. Your budget.

The United States hosts the most matches, across 11 cities including New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas and Seattle. The final is at MetLife Stadium near New York on 19 July. Mexico has three host cities: Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, and the opening match is in Mexico City on 11 June. Canada has two: Toronto and Vancouver.

Visa rules for Indian fans: USA, Canada and Mexico

For an Indian passport holder, each country is separate.

The United States needs a B1/B2 visitor visa. There is no visa on arrival, and demand is high this year, so apply as early as you can. A confirmed match ticket can get you a priority interview slot under the US FIFA Pass scheme, but it does not guarantee approval. You still have to meet the usual requirements.

Canada needs either a visitor visa or an electronic travel authorisation, depending on how you travel and your circumstances.

Mexico is the simplest of the three. If you already hold a valid US or Canadian visa, you can enter Mexico without a separate Mexican visa, and you complete a tourist card on arrival. If you do not hold one of those, you apply through a Mexican consulate.

Three countries, three currencies

The three currencies you may handle are the US dollar (USD), the Canadian dollar (CAD) and the Mexican peso (MXN). Here is the practical side of each.

In the US, dollar notes run from $1 to $100. Small bills are useful because tipping is a regular part of US spending, around 15 to 20 percent at restaurants and on taxis, plus smaller tips for hotel staff. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but having some $1s and $5s on hand makes day one easier.

In Canada, the smallest paper note is $5. The $1 and $2 come as coins, known as the loonie and the toonie, so you carry fewer small bills than in the US. Tipping is similar to the US, and contactless card payments are universal.

Mexico runs on the peso, with notes from 20 to 1000 pesos. Cash matters more here than in the other two, especially for taxis, markets, smaller restaurants and tipping. The peso symbol is also "$", which can be confusing at first; menus sometimes show "MX$" or "pesos" to make it clear. Carry small denominations.

A forex card is built for trips like this. It is a prepaid card you load with foreign currency before you travel, and the amount comes off the card in that currency when you spend. The catch is cross-currency markup. If you load only US dollars and then spend in Mexican pesos, the card converts the money on every transaction and you pay a fee each time. Load the currencies for the countries you are actually visiting. If you have not used one before, here is how a forex card works. The Matrix Forex Card runs on Visa and holds up to 28 currencies, so a multi-country trip can sit on one card.

Sort your money before you fly

The most expensive place to buy foreign currency is the airport, whether at home or abroad. The last-minute counters there charge the widest margins.

Here is the part most travellers never see. When a bank or an exchange sells you foreign currency, it adds a markup to the exchange rate. It does not show up as a separate fee. It is built into the rate you are quoted. The usual range is 2 to 5 percent. On a World Cup trip that can run ₹4 lakh to ₹7 lakh per person, a few percent on your currency is a real amount, and it is money you never see leave your account.

This is why buying ahead, at a clear rate, makes a difference. Matrix Forex sells at the live interbank rate with no markup added, which is the rate banks use between themselves.

How much cash you can carry to the USA, Canada or Mexico

You can carry up to USD 3,000 per trip in foreign currency notes for travel to the US, Canada or Mexico. That is enough for arrival costs, tips, local transport and small everyday spends. Everything beyond that should sit on a forex card or as a digital balance. Carrying large amounts of cash is neither safe nor needed, and cards are accepted easily across all three countries.

We go into each country in more detail in our USA guide, Canada guide and Mexico guide.

TCS on World Cup travel: when it applies

TCS, or tax collected at source, worries a lot of people planning a big trip. For most fans it does not apply.

Here is how it works. TCS on travel spending under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme only begins once your total foreign spending crosses ₹10 lakh in a financial year. Below that, there is no TCS on your travel forex. The limit is counted per person, and the Indian financial year runs April to March, so your count resets fresh each April. There is more on how TCS and the LRS limit work in our travel-money guide.

A single fan's trip, or a couple's, usually stays under ₹10 lakh, so TCS often does not come in at all. If your total foreign spending for the year does cross ₹10 lakh, the 20 percent rate applies only to the amount above ₹10 lakh, not the whole sum. And you get TCS back. It is adjusted against your income tax when you file your annual return.

One thing to watch. If you pay for several people's travel on your own PAN, all of it counts towards your ₹10 lakh. Splitting payments across the people actually travelling keeps each person under the limit.

Before you book: a money checklist

Pick your country first, because it sets your visa, your currency and your budget. Apply for the visa early. Work out which currencies you need for the cities you are visiting. Buy your forex ahead at a clear rate rather than at the airport, keep your cash within the limit, and put the rest on a card. Get the money settled early so the football is the only thing on your mind when you land.

Frequently asked questions

How much will a FIFA World Cup 2026 trip from India cost?

A realistic two-week trip taking in two or three host cities runs around ₹4 lakh to ₹7 lakh per person, depending on which matches and cities you pick. Tickets to the final sit in a much higher bracket on their own.

Do Indian fans need a visa for the USA, Canada and Mexico?

Yes for the United States, which needs a B1/B2 visitor visa, and for Canada, which needs a visitor visa or an electronic travel authorisation. Mexico is visa-free if you already hold a valid US or Canadian visa; otherwise you apply through a Mexican consulate.

Which currencies do I need for the 2026 World Cup?

US dollars in the United States, Canadian dollars in Canada and Mexican pesos in Mexico. Load only the currencies for the countries you are visiting, so you are not paying cross-currency charges on every transaction.

Is there TCS on World Cup travel from India?

Only if your total foreign spending crosses ₹10 lakh in the financial year. Below that there is no TCS on travel forex. Above it, the 20 percent applies only to the amount over ₹10 lakh, and it is adjusted against your income tax when you file your return.

How much cash can I carry for the World Cup?

Up to USD 3,000 per trip in foreign currency notes for the US, Canada or Mexico. Anything beyond that should go on a forex card or as a digital balance.

Read next: our USA, Canada and Mexico money guides, and forex card vs cash for travel.