Scotland fans heading to the United States for the World Cup are being told to check their ESTA status again after some approved applications were switched back to pending. The official guidance is blunt enough, too, a valid ESTA does not guarantee entry. Scotland's last World Cup tournament was 1998, so plenty of supporters are trying to get the paperwork right early.
Why the delay is causing panic
ESTA applications are typically approved within 72 hours, but some were changed to pending just one week before the tournament. In one travel group, three approved ESTAs from February reverted to pending status. Stephen, a Scottish football fan from Aberdeen, called the situation an “absolute joke”.
That reaction is easy to understand. The first group game is away to Haiti on 2026-06-14 01:00:00+00, then Scotland play Morocco at home on 2026-06-19 22:00:00+00 and Brazil at home on 2026-06-24 22:00:00+00. If your travel plans are tied to those dates, a pending status is a problem even before anyone gets near passport control.
How to apply without adding more risk
The practical advice is simple enough. Travellers should use the official ESTA Application Website or the ESTA Mobile app on iOS and Android, and the official fee is $40.27, described here as almost £30. The US Embassy also warned that third-party sites can look legitimate while being deceptive, adding that U.S. Government websites can be identified by “.gov.”
That is the point fans should not ignore. The issue is not just whether an ESTA was approved months ago, it is whether it is still showing as approved now. For Scotland supporters headed across the Atlantic, that check is worth doing before the flight, not at the airport.
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