The United States government has announced a temporary waiver of visa bond requirements for football fans from five African countries attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The decision, announced by the U.S. State Department on Tuesday, affects supporters from Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia who have purchased valid World Cup tickets.

The visa bond policy was introduced last year by the Trump administration as part of broader immigration enforcement measures targeting countries with high visa overstay rates and other security concerns.

Under the policy, travellers from 50 countries were required to pay refundable visa bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 before entering the United States.

However, the State Department confirmed that fans from the five African nations who purchased FIFA World Cup tickets and enrolled in the FIFA Pass system for expedited visa appointments would now be exempt from the requirement.

The FIFA Pass system became available on April 15.

World Cup players, coaches, and some tournament officials had already been exempted from the bond programme.

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Mora Namdar, said the waiver was aimed at supporting travel for the global tournament.

“The United States is excited to organise the biggest and best FIFA World Cup in history,” Namdar said.

“We are waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets.”

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to begin on June 11 and will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Despite the temporary relief for football fans, the administration has maintained several immigration restrictions.

Travellers from Iran and Haiti still face entry bans, although exemptions apply to team personnel and tournament officials.

Partial restrictions also remain in place for visitors from the Ivory Coast and Senegal, while additional screening measures, including social media history checks, continue to apply.

Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and several U.S.-based civil rights groups, criticised the broader immigration measures and issued a “World Cup travel advisory” warning visitors about the current environment in the United States.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association also noted that visa-related restrictions and uncertainty had reduced international travel demand, with hotel bookings for the tournament reportedly below expectations.

The State Department stated that the visa bond system remains part of its strategy to discourage visa overstays, noting that travellers from affected countries must still comply with all visa conditions to receive refunds where applicable.