Foreign Fans With World Cup Tickets Will Avoid Paying Migration Bonds

The Donald Trump administration will suspend the requirement to pay visa bonds of up to $15,000 for certain foreign fans who already have tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The measure was confirmed by the State Department to the AP news agency and disclosed in Spanish by Telemundo.

The decision represents an uncommon relaxation in Washington’s current immigration policy. Over the past year, the administration had tightened controls for visitors from 50 countries, requiring many temporary visa applicants to leave deposits of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 as a guarantee of return.

Now, this requirement will no longer apply to fans from certain countries if they can demonstrate they purchased tickets for the tournament and registered in the FIFA Pass system. Deputy Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar explained that the exemption seeks to facilitate the arrival of qualified fans and expedite their procedures before the tournament, according to information released by AP and covered by Telemundo.

Who Benefits From This Exemption and What Changes?

The measure primarily benefits visitors from countries that were subject to the bond program and that also qualified for the World Cup. These countries include Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Tunisia, which until now faced an additional financial burden to travel to the United States as tourists.

In effect, the change removes an important barrier for thousands of fans. Although authorities believed in April that the directly affected group was relatively small, they also acknowledged that the number could change rapidly as more people purchased tickets or abandoned travel plans due to costs and uncertainty.

The decision also corrects a difference that had generated discontent among fans and organizers. Before this announcement, players, coaches, and part of national team staff were already exempt from paying the bond, while fans with confirmed tickets still had to meet this requirement. This asymmetry was partially resolved after months of conversations between FIFA, the State Department, and the relevant authorities.