Canada Issues Health Advisory for U.S. Travelers in Anticipation of 2026

In the months leading up to 2026, cross-border travel has been taking on a more cautious tone as both governments are changing the rules.

For travelers, the shift is less about alarm and more about preparation—understanding what may be different on the ground, factoring in added pressure on public services, and taking simple steps that can reduce avoidable disruptions.

Against a backdrop of ongoing U.S.–Canada friction and an increasingly busy international travel calendar, even routine trips are starting to come with a longer checklist.

On December 22, Canada updated its U.S. travel guidance with a new, event-specific health notice aimed at Canadians planning to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a tournament expected to draw unprecedented crowds across North America.

Global Affairs Canada’s U.S. destination page now lists a health update noting a travel health notice for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The added notice does not raise the overall security risk level for travel to the United States.

Instead, it flags the practical reality that mass gatherings can amplify routine health hazards—respiratory illness transmission, dehydration, heat exposure, and crowd-related injuries—especially when fans are moving through airports, public transit, and high-density fan zones in multiple cities over several weeks.

Here at Traveling Lifestyle, we’ve looked closer into this health warning and also the ongoing US-Canada tension and tourism problems.

What Canada’s New Notice Actually Says

The Government of Canada’s dedicated travel health notice for the World Cup emphasizes that large crowds increase the risk of illness and injury and advises travelers to take straightforward preventive steps. In the government’s words: “Expect large crowds; this can increase your risk of illness and injury.”

The notice also stresses basics that become more important at scale: hand hygiene, avoiding close contact with sick people, food and water safety, and planning ahead for access to care. For anyone who becomes ill while traveling—or after returning—it recommends measures that reduce onward transmission, including masking and sharing travel history with clinicians.

The “Before You Leave” Checklist: Six Weeks Is the Key Planning Window

Alongside the notice, Canada’s broader guidance around the tournament encourages travelers to build a medical plan early—ideally six weeks before…