France started their preparations for the World Cup convincingly as Kylian Mbappe inspired them to a 2-1 friendly ​win over Brazil despite being reduced to 10 men early in the second half on Thursday.

Captain Mbappe, showing ‌no sign of the knee problems that had troubled him in recent weeks, opened the scoring in the first half, while Hugo Ekitike found the net after Dayot Upamecano was sent off 10 minutes into the second half.

Gleison Bremer pulled one goal back for Brazil.

While the French defence, without ​the injured Jules Kounde and William Saliba, was shaky at times, their attacking firepower was too much to handle ​for Brazil, who lacked creativity in the midfield.

Mbappe now has 56 goals with France and is ⁠just one shy of Olivier Giroud’s record, which he could at least equal when Didier Deschamps’s side takes on Colombia in ​another friendly in Landover, Maryland, on Sunday.

“For us, it was not friendly. Playing Brazil is a great opportunity to see where ​we stand tactically and technically. It’s great to play matches like this. I said before the game we should not conclude it, so I’m not going to be hypocritical and treat it like a World Cup final,” said Mbappe.

“We showed creativity and remained solid. We’re moving forward. ​All I want is to be on the pitch and play — every kid dreams of playing a France-Brazil match. I know ​it’s a privilege.”

France carried an early threat on the break against a Brazil side intent on pushing forward.

Didier Deschamps’s team struck first in the ‌32nd minute ⁠through Mbappe after a sharp transition. Aurelien Tchouameni won back possession and fed Ousmane Dembele, who released Mbappe into space down the right, and the France captain accelerated clear of Leo Pereira before calmly lifting a right-footed finish over Ederson.

The goal capped a lively opening spell in which France looked dangerous whenever they found space, Mbappe’s pace stretching Brazil’s back line and forcing them on ​to the back foot.

Brazil threatened ​a quick response when Vinicius ⁠Jr. capitalised on a loose ball and slipped Gabriel Martinelli through, but the Arsenal forward’s effort from the edge of the area curled just wide of the target.

Luiz Henrique replaced Raphina at halftime and made an immediate impact, testing Mike Maignan with a powerful shot from just inside the box as Brazil looked more dangerous early in the second half.

They were quickly rewarded when Upamecano, in a last defender position, was shown a straight red card for tripping Wesley in the 55th minute.

But France did not panic and even doubled the tally in the 65th minute ⁠, as Ekitike dinked a right-footed effort past Ederson after being played through by Michael Olise at the end of a counter-attack.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side eventually pulled one back when Bremer tapped in from Luiz Henrique’s cross in the 78th minute, but France ​held firm to secure Deschamps’s first victory against Brazil in his coaching career

-Reuters

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By Adam Crafton.

Fans from several countries participating in this summer’s World Cup must deposit up to $15,000 in bond payments to be granted a tourist visa to enter the United States, while organiser FIFA is privately pressing the Trump administration to make exemptions for players.

The difficulties have emerged as nationals from certain countries travelling to the U.S. on a business or tourist visa — known as B-1 and B-2 visas — have been subject to bond payments after policy changes by President Donald Trump’s administration.

The “Visa Bond Pilot Program” relates to 50 countries, five of which have qualified for the World Cup.

The policy has impacted nationals from Algeria, Cape Verde, Senegal and the Ivory Coast since January 21 this year.

Last week, World Cup participants Tunisia were among the countries added to the list, which comes into effect from April 2.

Cape Verde — an archipelago of only 525,000 people — has qualified for the men’s World Cup for the first time in its history.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told The Athletic that all applicants, regardless of age, are subject to the same legal standards and must demonstrate they qualify for and intend to comply with the terms of a visa.

They added that those who depart the U.S. in a timely fashion before their visa expires will recover their money, while they also said the visa bond requirement is not retroactive and does not apply to holders of existing valid visas.

However, there is no wording outlined in the Visa Bond Pilot Program that grants immunity to athletes competing in major sporting events such as the World Cup.

Athletes who do not already have U.S. visas will largely apply for the B-1 or B-2 visas during the tournament, meaning they, too, could be asked to deposit bonds.

The State Department said that all visa applications will be adjudicated on a case-by-case basis by officers.

The policy states that there is “no procedure” for applicants to apply for a waiver of the bond, but consular officers can determine whether a waiver “would advance a significant national interest or humanitarian interest based on the applicant’s purpose of travel and employment.”

When contacted by The Athletic this week, neither the State Department nor FIFA took the opportunity to rule out that players from the designated countries would be required to pay the bonds. FIFA declined to comment on all aspects of this report.

The situation is causing concern among the soccer federations of designated nations.

 Sources, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, told The Athletic the matter was raised with FIFA at pre-World Cup preparation workshops that competing federations attended this month in Atlanta.

Fewer than 80 days out from the World Cup, FIFA is attempting to convince the Trump administration to waive the bonds for official members of a competing federation’s delegation, which would likely include players, coaches and support staff, as well as federation executives and possibly key personnel from sponsors.

Behind the scenes, FIFA is working on contingencies, with the organisation seeking to help the soccer teams of designated nations circumvent the bonds by supplying invitation letters for the official delegations of national federations competing at the World Cup.

FIFA wants these letters to act as a waiver for the bonds. According to sources close to the matter, the current expectation is that, if successful, this will extend only to players, staff and federation executives, but possibly not to the immediate relatives of players, who may be subject to the bonds.

When The Athletic asked the State Department about FIFA seeking to influence the U.S. government’s policies, a State Department spokesperson stressed that “rules, policies, and procedures for visa processing are set in Washington, D.C.,” before adding that the U.S. government “continues to engage robustly with FIFA in support of the largest and greatest FIFA World Cup in history.”

While negotiations are ongoing over possible player exemptions for the visa bonds at the World Cup, it does not appear that any such privileges will be extended to fans.

For supporters from the impacted countries, the bonds add a huge financial burden on any trip to watch their team in the U.S. this summer, compounding the highly expensive World Cup tickets and hotels this summer.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has repeatedly claimed this summer’s men’s World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico will be the “most inclusive” in the competition’s history.

Yet a national traveling from the impacted countries, who is deemed otherwise eligible for entry into the U.S., must now also have the means to post a bond of either $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000, which may preclude or deter many from traveling at all.

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.

A State Department spokesperson told The Athletic that America’s safety and border security “will always come first” and reiterated that nationals of designated countries would be required to post a visa bond of up to $15,000 before a visa can be issued.

This would appear to be an issue for Algeria, Tunisia, and Cape Verde, with Senegal and the Ivory Coast designated for broader travel bans, which would limit travel in any case.

The State Department further claimed that the program “has proven effective in deterring illegal immigration and the Trump Administration is expanding it to additional countries based on a range of immigration risk factors, including high overstay rates, screening and vetting deficiencies, concerns regarding acquisition of citizenship by investment without a residency requirement, and foreign policy considerations.”

FIFA has also been asked by impacted nations to ensure that the State Department provides B-1 or B-2 visas that offer multiple entries into the U.S.

This has become a challenge as the State Department has increasingly been providing single-entry business or tourist visas to nationals of designated countries, when equivalent visas previously offered multiple entries.

Federations, players and fans need multiple-access visas to the U.S. because some teams in the tournament will play in more than one country during the World Cup.

Ivory Coast, for example, have a group game in Toronto sandwiched between two games in Philadelphia, while Senegal’s final group-stage game is in Toronto, and they may need to return to the U.S. for knockout games.

Tunisia’s first two games will be in Mexico before their final group game in Kansas City. Algeria and Cape Verde’s group games are all within the U.S.

A State Department spokesperson said an applicant’s “individual circumstances” will be taken into account when a consular officer makes the final decision on whether to issue a single- or multiple-entry visa.

• The Athletic, New York Times

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As the intercontinental play-off begins this Thursday in Mexico, Suriname’s long-standing ambition of reaching the FIFA World Cup could finally become reality.

The Surinamese face Bolivia in Monterrey, with victory setting up a showdown against Iraq on Tuesday for a place at the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Suriname came close to securing automatic qualification during the CONCACAF campaign but fell short on the final matchday after a defeat to Guatemala allowed Panama to edge them in their group.

That setback has now handed them a second opportunity through the play-offs, where only two teams will progress to the global finals.

Should they advance, Suriname will join a formidable Group I alongside France, Norway and Senegal.

Dutch Roots Shape Squad Identity

A major factor behind Suriname’s resurgence is its strong Dutch connection.

The country, a former Dutch colony, has long been linked to some of football’s greatest names, including Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Clarence Seedorf—all of whom trace their roots to Suriname.

Recent changes to nationality laws allowing dual citizenship have significantly strengthened the national team. Of the 26-man squad currently in Mexico, 22 players were born in the Netherlands, with several having represented Dutch youth teams.

Former Netherlands international Jean-Paul Boetius is among those who have switched allegiance, while striker Gleofilo Vlijter stands out as the only fully home-grown player in the squad.

The team is now under the guidance of Henk ten Cate, who takes charge for the first time in this Thursday’s crucial encounter.

Ten Cate, who previously worked with Ajax Amsterdam, believes qualification would represent both a sporting and cultural milestone.

“It would really be a fantastic compliment for Dutch football training if we qualify,” he said, adding that success would spark celebrations both in Suriname and among diaspora communities.

Despite the challenge ahead, Ten Cate remains confident his side can make history.

“Suriname at the World Cup … it would be a dream come true. We are going for it,” he said.

For a nation that has often watched the World Cup through the achievements of players representing the Netherlands, this play-off campaign offers a rare chance to step onto football’s biggest stage in its own right.

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