Scotland fans 'heartbroken' as travel permits to World Cup withdrawn last minute

Scotland football fans say they are devastated as last-minute changes to travel permits could prevent them from travelling to the World Cup.

UK citizens who want to go to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa need to apply to the country's Electronic System for Travel Authorization (Esta).

But dozens of fans who filled out the form have said on social media that their application status had changed this week from "approved" to "travel not authorised".

Some have told BBC Scotland News they could lose out on thousands of pounds in travel costs due to the changes, with Scotland's first World Cup game kicking off in less than two weeks.

Scott Braid, 43, from Kirkcaldy, was due to fly out to Boston on 12 June with his wife and two kids.

He applied for his Esta and once it was approved he thought he was "good to go" and booked the "once-in-a-lifetime trip".

He told BBC Scotland News: "Out of the blue on Tuesday, I got an email that said there's been an update on your Esta status."

He said it had moved from approved to pending and two hours later it changed to "travel not authorised".

Scott said he is especially frustrated given that he had a previous Esta that expired in 2024, and he travelled to America in 2023 with no issues.

"Since I've done that ESTA there's been absolutely no changes to my circumstances," he said. "That's the frustrating thing, not knowing why this has happened."

Scott said he is encouraging his family to go ahead with the trip in the hope he will be able to join them part-way through after securing a visa appointment in Belfast next week.

The same thing happened to brothers Andrew and Nelson Speirs, also from Kirkcaldy.

Nelson said they applied for their Esta on 14 December, and they were approved the next day. The form stayed that way until 3 June when it was updated to say they were not allowed to travel.

"It's not given us very much time to do anything about it," he told BBC Scotland News.

"I don't think it's fair, they shouldn't authorise somebody to go then take it back. We didn't book anything until we were authorised."

He had planned to travel to Miami as part of a trip for Andrew's 40th birthday celebrations, at a total cost of £10,000. He said the news has left him "heartbroken".

The brothers showed BBC Scotland News screenshots from the Esta website showing their applications were approved but have now been updated.

They have managed to get an appointment at the US consulate in Belfast on 11 June.

In order to travel to America, applicants must complete a form, pay a fee, and receive approval before travel.

An approved Esta is usually valid for two years and allows multiple short visits.

UK citizens with certain criminal convictions or immigration issues are usually not eligible.

In December, the White House said it wanted to make social media checks part of the process of applying for the permissions.

Anyone who does not qualify for an Esta has to apply for a US visa instead, but this can be a lengthy progress.

Scotland kicks off its World Cup campaign on 12 June.

BBC Scotland News has approached the US Embassy in London, Homeland Security and the US Customs and Border Protection.