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Challenges facing several African countries
Soccer fans from five African countries have been granted a possible exemption from paying a $15,000 financial guarantee, provided they already have tickets for the 2026 World Cup in the United States.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has announced that fans with tickets from Algeria, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia will be exempted from the visa requirement.
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The five countries are among 50 countries included in the requirement, which was introduced last year to limit the length of visas allowed as part of a broader campaign to tighten immigration policy in the United States.
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With 78 of the 104 matches at the 2026 World Cup being played on American soil, this drop is significant, the BBC reports.
But many hurdles remain for Africans preparing to travel to the tournament.
In order to get rid of the requirement of financial guarantee, the ticket holders of the included countries were obliged to register their data in the “FIFA Pass” electronic system until last April 15.
The system, announced last November, aims to help ticket holders get visa appointments quickly.
“One step too late”
The International Football Federation (FIFA), for its part, noted that the announcement to cancel the visa financial guarantee requirement reflects the continued cooperation with the White House “to organize a successful, unprecedented and unforgettable world event”.
But the move may come too late for many who had hoped to travel and watch their teams in the tournament.
It is not yet clear whether fans of the five African nations who buy tickets at the last minute will be required to pay a financial guarantee to get a visa. Travelers from Ivory Coast and Senegal also continue to face partial restrictions under the Trump administration’s ongoing travel ban.
Fans from the two West African nations who did not receive their visas until last December will not be granted visitor visas to travel to the United States, the BBC reports.
At the same time, even those coming from countries not covered by the financial guarantee requirement face difficulties in securing their travel.
Some Ghanaians hoping to watch their national team in Boston and Philadelphia were denied visas to the United States.
