A $15K payment looming for some World Cup players and fans just to enter the country
Tunisia's #9 Haythem Jouini and Namibia's #20 Ivan Kamberipa jump as they fight for the ball during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Africa qualifiers group H football match between Namibia and Tunisia at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on June 9, 2024. (Photo by P
Players and fans from certain countries who have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are looking at a payment of a $15,000 bond to enter the United States.
What we know:
According to a report from the New York Times, the U.S. Department of State is requiring any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by a country on a list of countries subject to visa bonds to post a bond between $5,000 to $15,000.
Of the 48 countries that would have qualified for the tournament, five of those nations fall on that list. Citizens from Algeria, Cape Verde, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Tunisia will all have to obtain a B1 or B2 visa, a business or tourist visa. The visa's come at a cost per applicant.
According to the Department of State, four of the countries, Algeria, Cape Verde, Senegal and Ivory Coast were added to the list on January 21 of this year. The bond requirement will be effective for Tunisia on April 2, 2026.
The Times reports that FIFA is looking to get exemptions for players from those nations who are on the list, but no wording that would grant immunity to athletes participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer.
The backstory:
The list of countries were added as part of a 12-month-long visa bond pilot program. The countries are identified as having high visa overstay rates or where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient.
Dig deeper:
The bond may be canceled and money returned to the visa holders if they leave the country before their visa expires, if they do not travel to the U.S. before expiration or if they apply and are denied admission at the U.S. port of entry.
Some applicants can also be disqualified if they overstay their time allotted on their visa, if they leave the country after expiration or if the visa holder tries to change their immigration status.
The bond payment does not guarantee a visa issuance.