With just a few more months left for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, International fans and players travelling from a certain few countries currently face the risk of paying an additional $15,000 to enter the United States of America. The new Visa Bond Pilot Program, which will come into effect from Apr. 2, 2026, will impact a total of 50 countries, five of which have qualified for the World Cup.
As per regulations set by President Donald Trump's administration, residents of five countries- Algeria, Cape Verde, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and Tunisia have to pay expensive bonds for receiving their USA B-1 and B-2 visas. And there lies currently no exemption for the World Cup, per The Athletic.
The amount has to be paid per person, which means that a parent travelling with a child would have to make two separate individual bond payments. Sources close to the process indicated that $5,000 payments will be reserved for children entering the country, with payments of $10,000 or $15,000 reserved for adults.
According to The Athletic, a spokesperson for the US State Department confirmed that all applicants, irrespective of age, are evaluated under the same legal criteria and must prove their eligibility for and commitment to adhering to visa conditions. It is also important to note that the deposit will be returned as long as the individuals depart the US before their visa expires.
With no current exemption for the World Cup, players from these five qualified nations may also face these visa issues. As per The Athletic, there are no words in the Visa Bond Pilot Program that grant immunity to the athletes. Players who do not have an active USA visa for the B-1 or B-2 visas during the tournament might be asked to deposit the $15,000 deposit bond.
As of now, neither the State Department nor FIFA has dismissed the possibility that players from Algeria, Cape Verde, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and Tunisia could be required to pay the bonds.
However, anonymous sources told The Athletic that the issue had already been discussed with FIFA. As per reports, FIFA is pushing the Trump administration to exempt official delegation members, including players, coaches, support staff, federation officials, and potentially key sponsor personnel, from the $15,000 bond fee.
