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Football World Cup 2026 | US drops $5k-15k visa bond money requirement for fans from five African nations

Football World Cup 2026 | US drops $5k-15k visa bond money requirement for fans from five African nations

US drops visa bond money requirement for 5 African nations' fans Photograph: (Others)

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Trump admin has dropped visa bond money requirement for fans from Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia with valid match tickets to enter the US during World Cup 2026.

The USA, which is co-hosting the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 along with Mexico and Canada, has dropped the visa bond requirement for fans of the five African countries which have qualified for the 48-team event. The development came Wednesday (May 12) with less than a month to go for the tournament which is scheduled begin on June 11. Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia are the five countries fans from which have been exempted from paying the bond money to enter the US which ranges between $5,000-$15,000. The money, paid with visa application, is refundable whenever the traveler leaves the US or the visa is denied.

USA makes exceptions for fans for World Cup 2026 duration

Under the Trump administration, the US had implemented rule of vida bond money for the travelers from the countries which tend of overstay the visa among other security concerns. There are about 50 contries under the blanket of visa bond rule but now the five African countries of Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia have been exempted from the rule in order to help them attend the matches. The requirement from exemption, however, includes holding a valid World Cup ticket for a match in the USA. The players, coaches and other staff have already been exempted from the rule but the relief for fans came on Wednesday (May 13).

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"The United States is excited to organize the biggest and best Fifa World Cup in history," Mora Namdar, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, told the Associated Press (AP) on Wednesday. "We are waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets" and have opted the FIFA Pass system for expedited visa appointments.

US matches FIFA World Cup 2026

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The World Cup will see 104 matches being played including the final on July 19. 78 of those 104 matches are scheduled to be played in the USA while Mexico and Canada will host 13 matches each. A total 11 cities in the USA will host the World Cup 2026 matches: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and East Rutherford, New Jersey.

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Prashant Talreja

Prashant Talreja is an Assistant Editor at WION, specializing in sports: cricket, tennis, golf, football, etc. With over 10 years of experience in sports journalism, Talreja has pr...Read More