Boca Juniors defender Ayrton Costa has been granted a special United States visa after the footballer had previously rejected his application, the Argentine club announced on Friday.
That means, Costa will be available at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 for Boca Juniors, hosted by the United States, starting on June 14.
Costa’s visa application was initially rejected by the U.S. immigration officials after the defender was subject to a criminal complaint, related to an aggravated robbery in 2018. But the footballed accepted probationary sentence in 2023 to avoid any trial.
“Ayrton Costa has been granted a 26-day special visa,” a Boca Juniors spokesperson told Reuters. Initially, the U.S. immigration officials had ruled out that Costa would not be allowed into the country as he is still serving his sentence.
Earlier, the left-footed defender had given three interviews at the embassy before being denied a visa.However, Costa’s case is believed to have been considered after the club appealed to FIFA.
The 24-year-old Costa joined Boca Juniors earlier in 2024 from Belgium’s Royal Antwerp for a fee close to USD 3.5 million. In his first season with the Argentine club, Costa made a solid impression, thus making him one of the key plyers in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
Boca Juniors FIFA Club World Cup schedule
Boca Juniors have been named in Group C in the league stage with the likes of Portuguese side Benfica, Germany’s Bayern Munich and Auckland City from New Zealand. Boca Juniors open their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 campaign against Benfica (June 17), followed by matches against Bayern Munich (June 21) and Auckland City (June 25).
Boca Juniors full squad for Club World Cup
Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero, Leandro Brey, Javier Garcia, Augustin Marchesin
Defenders: Marcelo Saracchi, Marcos Rojo, Nicolas Figal, Marco Pellegrino, Rodrigo Battaglia, Luis Advincula, Frank Fabra, Lautaro Blanco, Juan Barinaga, Aryton Costa, Mateo Mendia, Lautaro di Lollo, Lucas Blondel, Walter Molas
Midfielders: Carlos Palacios, Ignacio Miramon, Malcom Braida, Williams Alarcon, Agustin Martegani, Alan Velasco, Andre Herrera, Kevin Zenon, Tomas Belmonte, Camilo Rey Domenech, Milton Delgado, Santiago Dalmasso, Joaquin Ruiz
Forwards: Exequiel Zeballos, Milton Gimenez, Edinson Cavani, Lucas Janson, Miguel Merentiel, Brian Aguirre