SOCCER: United States temporarily halts visa bonds for specific World Cup ticket-holders

Ticket-holders from specific countries will not be required to pay a bond to attend World Cup matches this summer in the United States, a Trump Administration representative announced Wednesday.

Citizens of 50 countries -- including World Cup competitors Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia -- have been subject to a nine-month-old State Department rule that demands visitors make a $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 deposit to enter the country. The deposit is returned when the visitor leaves the United States.

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar sent statements to multiple media outlets explaining the temporary change for a specific subset of soccer fans.

"(The United States is) waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets and opted in to FIFA PASS as of April 15, 2026," Namdar told Al Jazeera.

The bond rules previously were waived for players, coaches and other team workers for those same five countries.

Multiple World Cup-qualifying countries -- including Haiti, Iran, Ivory Coast and Senegal -- continue to be subject to a Trump Administration directive that bans some of their citizens from entering the United States under any circumstances.

The World Cup begins June 11 in Mexico with the first match in the United States scheduled for June 12 in Inglewood, Calif. The FIFA World Cup Final will be played July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

-Field Level Media/Reuters