Trump’s Visa Policy Could Force World Cup Fans to Put Up to $15k Per Person to Enter US

FILE – FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, awards President Donald Trump with the FIFA Peace Prize during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

International travelers coming to the U.S. for this summer’s World Cup could be forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars thanks to President Donald Trump’s visa policy.

A Wednesday report from The Athletic highlighted the struggles a handful of countries are facing ahead of the international tournament. As noted in the report, visitors seeking B-1 or B-2 visas must pay for bonds that cost between $5,000 and $15,000 per person. Of the 50 countries listed in this new policy — called the “Visa Pilot Bond Program” — five of them will be participating in the World Cup.

Those countries are Algeria, Cape Verde, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and Tunisia.

When asked for comment by The Athletic, a State Department spokesperson emphasized that visitors who leave the U.S. “in a timely fashion” after the World Cup will have their money returned to them. The department, however, stood by the policy and stated that all international visitors would be “subject to the same legal standards.” That applies to competing athletes, as well.

The report continued:

The bond payments are per person, rather than per travelling party, meaning that a parent travelling with a child would have to make two separate bond payments. Sources familiar with the process indicate that the $5,000 payments will be broadly reserved for children entering the country, with payments of $10,000 or $15,000 for adults.

According to The Athletic, FIFA has privately been pushing for the Trump administration to make exemptions. In the meantime, the organization is reportedly ironing out backup plans to get teams into the U.S.

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