The New York/New Jersey’s FIFA World Cup 2026 logo is revealed during the kickoff event in Times Square in New York City, U.S., May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s “World Cup Czar,” Maya Handa, has said that the city is “looking into” reports that fans of certain teams will be forced to pay up to $15,000 in bond payments just to obtain a tourist visa for the USA this summer.
Tunisia, Senegal, Cape Verde, and the Ivory Coast, which will all compete at the World Cup this summer, are among 50 designated countries where applicants for tourist and business visas are required to pay refundable bonds of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000.
The Trump administration, which introduced the policy, said the measure aims to curb visa overstays and targets nations with high overstay rates. The State Department says the bonds are fully refundable if a traveler departs the United States in compliance with their visa terms.
However, The Athletic reported Wednesday morning that visa applicants from the five African nations competing in the World Cup will still be subject to the bond, including fans from Senegal, who will play both France and Norway at MetLife Stadium, and Cape Verde, a small African archipelago nation that has qualified for the World Cup for the very first time.
The Athletic further reports that players and staff from the impacted nations may not be exempt from the bond requirement.
Handa, who was appointed in January as Mamdani’s World Cup Czar to help the city prepare for the upcoming World Cup, told amNewYork on Wednesday that the Mamdani Administration is “looking into” the report.
“It’s the mayor’s intention that New York, the world city, be able to welcome as many people as possible for the World Cup,” Handa said Wednesday. “That’s been his stance, so we’re definitely looking into it. We really want to make sure that people are able to come and celebrate and spend their tourist dollars.”
FIFA has not yet responded to a request for comment, but the organization is reportedly seeking to waive bonds for players, coaches, and support staff, according to The Athletic. Immediate relatives of players or staff, however, may not be exempt.
The State Department has also not returned a request for comment. However, the agency told The Athletic that all visa applicants from designated countries are subject to the same legal standards.
The policy states that consular officers have the authority to waive visa bonds in “very limited circumstances,” including cases where an officer believes a waiver would advance a national or humanitarian interest. There is no procedure for visa applicants to apply for a waiver, and the decision is left to the discretion of individual consular officers.
Iran and Haiti, which have both qualified for the tournament, are also subject to full travel bans, severely restricting residents from both countries from traveling to the USA. Senegal and the Ivory Coast are subject to partial travel bans.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has stated that he believes the upcoming tournament will be the “most inclusive” World Cup of all time. Infantino previously asserted that the “world is welcome in America,” after being questioned about President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policy in May 2025.
The FIFA president previously gifted Trump a “peace prize” last year during the World Cup draw.
But numerous groups have raised concerns about the tournament’s accessibility, citing both visa issues and ticket prices.
Handa said Mamdani has been in “close conversation” with Infantino and is using “every tool” at his disposal to lower the cost of the upcoming tickets.
FIFA has faced extensive criticism over the cost of tickets at the World Cup, with fan group Football Supporters Europe (FSE) estimating that an individual fan would pay an average of $8,000 to follow their country all the way to the World Cup final.
Amid fierce criticism over its ticketing structure, FIFA released a small number of “more affordable” $60 tickets for each of the 104 games at the World Cup, including 660 tickets per individual fanbase for games at MetLife Stadium.
On Tuesday, FSE lodged a formal complaint against FIFA for “abusing its monopoly position,” calling on the organization to freeze ticket prices when it releases the latest batch of tickets in April.
Handa said Mamdani was “very clear about his concerns” when he met Infantino earlier in March.
“We’re working closely with FIFA and the FIFA Host Committee to figure out what we can do to make more tickets affordable and accessible for New Yorkers,” Handa said.
As World Cup Czar, Handa said her role is to “focus on the five boroughs” and ensure that New Yorkers have access to affordable, accessible events, even if they can’t secure tickets to the games themselves.
“Millions and millions of New Yorkers are soccer fans, and they are going to be watching the games in the city,” she said. “Our focus is affordable, accessible programming here in the city, through fan fests and through watch parties, as well as being able to support our small businesses, as there’s a tourist surge.
“We’re really focusing on New York City and making sure that this is an incredible summer that everyone can benefit from.”
For more on the World Cup, visit AMNY.com