Overview
- State Department officials, who announced the change Wednesday, waived bond payments for ticketed fans from Algeria, Cabo Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia who opted into FIFA PASS by April 15.
- Applicants who qualify for the waiver still undergo normal U.S. visa screening, which the government says remains unchanged for World Cup travel.
- The move does not lift separate travel bans, with Iran and Haiti still barred from entry and Ivory Coast and Senegal subject to partial restrictions on new visitor visas.
- FIFA requested the waiver and officials said it required approval from the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, while players, coaches and team staff had already been exempt.
- The visa-bond program, created last August and expanded in early 2026, requires refundable deposits of $5,000 to $15,000 for visitors from about 50 countries and was estimated to touch roughly 250 potential fans as of early April, as hotel groups warned the rules were hurting international bookings.