Foreign ticket holders from World Cup qualifying countries won't have to pay bonds to enter US

DAVID IS BOSTON STADIUM. EXACTLY. ED AND NOT EVERYBODY IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD THOSE HEFTY TICKET PRICES TO ATTEND THE WORLD CUP MATCHES IN PERSON. SO THE STATE HAS BEEN ENCOURAGING LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO ORGANIZE LOCAL WATCH PARTIES, EVEN PAYING THEM TO DO SO. BUT NOW SOME OF THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE WORRIED THAT THEIR SCREENS MIGHT STAY DARK. THE GILLETTE SIGN IS ALREADY COVERED AT WHAT WILL NOW BE KNOWN AS BOSTON STADIUM. ONE MONTH FROM NOW, HAITI AND SCOTLAND WILL PLAY THE FIRST OF SEVEN WORLD CUP MATCHES HERE. OUR REGION IS ABOUT TO BE ON THE WORLD STAGE, WITH 5 BILLION VIEWERS WATCHING US WORLDWIDE. BUT WITH TICKETS IN THE HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, NOT ALL FANS WILL BE ABLE TO AFFORD WATCHING IN PERSON. SO MORE THAN A DOZEN COMMUNITIES ARE PLANNING TO USE STATE GRANT MONEY TO HOST WATCH PARTIES, WHERE FANS WILL BE ABLE TO GATHER AND WATCH FOR FREE. SO WE ARE CURRENTLY PLANNING TEN DAYS OF SOCCER CELEBRATION HERE IN LEXINGTON LEXINGTON TOURISM DIRECTOR SANDHYA AYER SAYS THE TOWN IS PLANNING TO INSTALL TWO GIANT TVS ON THE LAWN OUTSIDE THE TOWN VISITOR CENTER. BUT AYER SAYS THE WORLD SOCCER GOVERNING ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS FIFA HAS NOT YET SIGNED OFF ON A LICENSE. THE TOWN NEEDS TO SHOW THE MATCHES IN PUBLIC. YEAH, WE MIGHT HAVE TO CANCEL DEPENDING ON, YOU KNOW, THE LAST MINUTE. IF WE DON’T GET IT, WE MIGHT HAVE TO GIVE BACK THE FUNDING THAT WE’VE RECEIVED FROM THE STATE. SOME OF THE COMMUNITIES HAVE DONE THAT. THE HEAD OF THE LOCAL ORGANIZING GROUP SAYS HE WAS ON THE PHONE WITH FIFA ABOUT THIS ISSUE JUST THIS WEEK, AND SAYS FIFA HAS PROMISED TO REVIEW THE TOWN’S LICENSE APPLICATIONS SOON. I WOULD EXPECT BY THE END OF THE

Updated: 5:01 PM EDT May 13, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Updated: 5:01 PM EDT May 13, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

The Trump administration is suspending a requirement that foreign visitors from countries that have qualified for the World Cup and have bought tickets for the soccer tournament pay as much as $15,000 in bonds to enter the United States, the State Department said Wednesday.The department imposed the bond requirement last year for countries that it said had high rates of people overstaying their visas and other security issues as part of the Republican administration's broader crackdown on immigration.Travelers to the United States from 50 countries are required to pay the new bond, and five of those countries have qualified for the World Cup — Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia.Citizens from those five countries who have purchased tickets from FIFA are now exempt from the visa bond requirement. World Cup team players, coaches and some staff already had been exempt from the bond requirement as part of the administration's orders to prioritize the processing of visas for the tournament."The United States is excited to organize the biggest and best FIFA World Cup in history," Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said. "We are waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets" and opted in to the FIFA Pass system that allows expedited visa appointments as of April 15.The waiver is a rare loosening of immigration requirements under the administration and will ease travel burdens for at least some visitors to the U.S. for the World Cup, which begins June 11 and is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.The administration has taken dramatic steps to restrict immigration in ways that critics say are incongruous with the type of unifying message that a global sporting event such as the World Cup is supposed to project.For instance, the administration has barred travelers from Iran and Haiti, though World Cup players, coaches and other support personnel are exempt. Travelers from Ivory Coast and Senegal, face partial restrictions under an expanded version of that travel ban, even without the visa bond exemption.Foreign travelers also had faced potential new requirements to submit their social media histories, although that policy from U.S. Customs and Border Protection had not gone into effect. Also, the administration had deployed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at airports recently when Transportation Security Administration personnel were not being paid during a partial federal shutdown.Those measures prompted Amnesty International and dozens of U.S. civil and human rights groups to issue a "World Cup travel advisory" that warns travelers about the climate in the U.S.In a report this month, the main advocacy group for U.S. hotels blamed visa barriers and other geopolitical issues for "significantly suppressing international demand," leading to hotel bookings for the soccer tournament that are far below what had initially been anticipated.The American Hotel & Lodging Association said travelers are concerned about potentially lengthy visa wait times and increased fees, along with uncertainty about how they're being processed to enter the U.S.The bond requirements are part of the administration's larger effort to clamp down on migrants who travel to the U.S. on temporary visas but then overstay them. Visa applicants from the affected countries are required to pay $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 in bonds, which will be refunded if the traveler complies with the terms of the visa or if the visa application is denied.As of early April, the number of World Cup fans affected by the bond requirement was believed to be relatively small, perhaps only about 250 people, according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. But they said that number was changing rapidly as more people buy tickets and some with tickets opt against traveling.FIFA had requested the waiver, which had to be approved by the State Department and Department of Homeland Security, and was the topic of discussion at multiple meetings at the White House and elsewhere in Washington for several months, the officials said.

WASHINGTON —

The department imposed the bond requirement last year for countries that it said had high rates of people overstaying their visas and other security issues as part of the Republican administration's broader crackdown on immigration.

Travelers to the United States from 50 countries are required to pay the new bond, and five of those countries have qualified for the World Cup — Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia.

Citizens from those five countries who have purchased tickets from FIFA are now exempt from the visa bond requirement. World Cup team players, coaches and some staff already had been exempt from the bond requirement as part of the administration's orders to prioritize the processing of visas for the tournament.

"The United States is excited to organize the biggest and best FIFA World Cup in history," Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said. "We are waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets" and opted in to the FIFA Pass system that allows expedited visa appointments as of April 15.

The waiver is a rare loosening of immigration requirements under the administration and will ease travel burdens for at least some visitors to the U.S. for the World Cup, which begins June 11 and is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The administration has taken dramatic steps to restrict immigration in ways that critics say are incongruous with the type of unifying message that a global sporting event such as the World Cup is supposed to project.

For instance, the administration has barred travelers from Iran and Haiti, though World Cup players, coaches and other support personnel are exempt. Travelers from Ivory Coast and Senegal, face partial restrictions under an expanded version of that travel ban, even without the visa bond exemption.

Foreign travelers also had faced potential new requirements to submit their social media histories, although that policy from U.S. Customs and Border Protection had not gone into effect. Also, the administration had deployed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at airports recently when Transportation Security Administration personnel were not being paid during a partial federal shutdown.

Those measures prompted Amnesty International and dozens of U.S. civil and human rights groups to issue a "World Cup travel advisory" that warns travelers about the climate in the U.S.

In a report this month, the main advocacy group for U.S. hotels blamed visa barriers and other geopolitical issues for "significantly suppressing international demand," leading to hotel bookings for the soccer tournament that are far below what had initially been anticipated.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association said travelers are concerned about potentially lengthy visa wait times and increased fees, along with uncertainty about how they're being processed to enter the U.S.

The bond requirements are part of the administration's larger effort to clamp down on migrants who travel to the U.S. on temporary visas but then overstay them. Visa applicants from the affected countries are required to pay $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 in bonds, which will be refunded if the traveler complies with the terms of the visa or if the visa application is denied.

As of early April, the number of World Cup fans affected by the bond requirement was believed to be relatively small, perhaps only about 250 people, according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. But they said that number was changing rapidly as more people buy tickets and some with tickets opt against traveling.

FIFA had requested the waiver, which had to be approved by the State Department and Department of Homeland Security, and was the topic of discussion at multiple meetings at the White House and elsewhere in Washington for several months, the officials said.

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Foreign ticket holders from World Cup qualifying countries won't have to pay bonds to enter US

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