United States has announced exemptions in their visa bond payment requirements to five African countries that qualified for World Cup: Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Tunisia. This means that fans with bought tickets for the matches in their countries will be exempt of paying the deposits ranging between $5,000 to $15,000 to enter the country.
United States launched a programme in late 2025 in which deposits were mandatory for certain B1/B2 visas (those required for business or tourism), so if the visitor doesn't depart on time or violates visa conditions, the deposit is forfeited. This is in place for many African countries, as well as Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, and Georgia.
From the list of countries subject to visa bonds, five will play in the World Cup next summer held in the US, Mexico, and Canada. United States decided to lift restrictions temporarily to World Cup fans, who had registered through FIFA Pass as of April 15, 2026.
However, as DW points out, this change doesn't change much for fans from Senegal and Ivory Coast, which have been on a list of countries with partial restrictions on entry to the US since December 2025. Fans from Haiti and Iran, also in World Cup, won't be able to enter as citizens from those countries remain banned to enter the US, with exceptions only applying for players, coaches and some staff.
