The State Department said Wednesday that the Trump administration is waiving a prior mandate that had forced citizens of Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia to post visa bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the United States for this summer’s World Cup matches.
Who Gets to Enter, and Who Pays
The waiver removes a costly barrier for citizens of those five countries who have purchased tickets to the tournament, after the administration had required visitors from those nations to provide thousands of dollars in bonds before they could enter the country. The bond requirement had been imposed last year for countries the administration said had high rates of visa overstays and other security concerns, as part of a broader immigration crackdown. Travelers from at least 50 countries are subject to the bond requirement, but the five nations named in the waiver have teams that qualified for this year’s World Cup.
World Cup team players, coaches and some staff had already been exempt from the bond requirement under the administration’s orders to prioritize visa processing for the tournament. The latest waiver applies to qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets and opted in to the FIFA Pass system, which allows expedited visa appointments as of April 15.
The Apparatus Calls It a Celebration
Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said, "The United States is excited to organize the biggest and best FIFA World Cup in history," and added, "We are waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets" and opted in to the FIFA Pass system. The State Department’s move follows a request from FIFA, which had to be approved by both the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, officials said.
FIFA said the announcement shows "our ongoing collaboration with the U.S. government and the White House task force for the FIFA World Cup to deliver a successful, record-breaking and unforgettable global event" and thanked the administration for the partnership. The language of collaboration sits alongside the reality that entry to the event was being controlled through visa bonds, exemptions, and expedited processing systems managed from above.
Borders, Bans, and the People Caught Inside Them
The administration has barred travelers from Iran and Haiti, though World Cup players, coaches and other support personnel are exempt. Travelers from the Ivory Coast and Senegal face partial restrictions under an expanded version of that travel ban, even without the visa bond exemption. The World Cup begins June 11 and is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Some measures from the administration 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 United States. That advisory reflects the conditions created by the same institutions now presenting the tournament as a triumph of global cooperation.
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 those officials said the number was changing rapidly as more people buy tickets and some with tickets opt against traveling.
The waiver was not automatic. FIFA had requested it, and it had to be approved by the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security. Even in a case involving a sports tournament, access still ran through the same gatekeepers, with the state deciding who could move and under what conditions.