The Trump administration will not require World Cup ticket holders from countries flagged for ​high rates of visa overstays to pay expensive bonds to enter the United States, ‌a U.S. State Department official said on Wednesday.

The administration last year began requiring visitors from some countries to pay bonds of up to $15,000 to obtain tourist visas to the U.S., saying the steep deposit was needed to ​prevent visa overstays. Fifty countries are currently subject to the bond requirement, which was expanded ​this year.

Five of the 50 countries subject to the visa bonds qualified to participate in ⁠the World Cup: Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia.

Mora Namdar, the top official in the State Department’s ​consular affairs division, said the U.S. would waive the bond requirement for ticket-holding fans who had ​already registered through a special system to expedite their visa processing. Qualifying team members and staff can also have the bonds waived, Namdar said.

“We remain committed to strengthening U.S. national security priorities while facilitating legitimate travel for the ​upcoming World Cup tournament,” she said in a statement.

The Associated Press first reported the news.

The World ​Cup, one of the globe’s biggest sporting events, will be held in June and July this year across ‌three countries – ⁠the United States, Canada and Mexico.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown has already cast a pall over the event and raised concerns about the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

Last year, masked federal agents surged into U.S. cities to track down immigration offenders and detained some ​tourists at airports.

The advocacy ​group Human Rights Watch ⁠, in late April, called on FIFA to press the U.S. government to establish an “ICE Truce” for the World Cup, including a public guarantee to refrain ​from immigration enforcement operations at games and venues.

DHS said at the time ​that international ⁠visitors travelling for the games “have nothing to worry about” if they have legal immigration status.

The U.S. launched a system in January to make it easier for World Cup ticket holders to obtain expedited visas. In order ⁠to ​have the bond requirement waived, ticket holders from affected countries ​must have registered in that system, known as FIFA PASS, by April 15.

-Reuters

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The White House refuted reports that the United States denied visas for five members of Iraq’s ​national team ahead of next month’s World ‌Cup.

The State Department sent a statement on Wednesday to Front Office Sports in response to online reports involving five ​players, including Luton Town forward Ali Al-Hamadi.

“Currently, ​there are no known issues affecting the Iraq ⁠National Team players, and they remain on ​track to compete in the World Cup,” the ​statement reads. “We maintain daily communication with FIFA and will continue to prioritise these players in accordance with the President’s Executive ​Order, ensuring an incredible and safe tournament.”

The ​Iraqi Football Association also quashed the rumours that had circulated ‌on ⁠social media on Tuesday.

“The news is false, and the truth is that all the national team players have obtained entry visas to America,” it said, ​per the ​Iraqi news ⁠site The New Region, adding that the players are also in the ​process of getting Canadian visas.

Iraq is in ​a ⁠tough Group I for this summer’s FIFA World Cup in North America, along with France, Senegal and ⁠Norway. ​Iraq is scheduled to play ​games in Foxborough, Mass. (June 16 vs. Norway), Philadelphia (June 22 vs. ​France) and in Toronto (June 26 vs. Senegal).

-Reuters

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With less than a month to the start of the FIFA World Cup, Morocco have lined up three warm-up matches as new coach Mohamed Ouahbi seeks more time to fine-tune his squad ahead of the global showpiece in the United States.

The North Africans, who stunned the football world by reaching the semi-finals at the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022, appointed Ouahbi in March following the resignation of Walid Regragui.

Since taking over, Ouahbi has handled only two matches, drawing against Ecuador and defeating Paraguay as he began shaping his team for the tournament.

According to the Moroccan Football Federation, the Atlas Lions will open their preparations with a closed-door friendly against Burundi on May 26 at the team’s training centre in Sale.

They will then face Madagascar on June 2 in Rabat in what is expected to serve as the team’s official send-off before departure for the World Cup.

After arriving in the United States, where Morocco’s base camp will be located in Basking Ridge, the team will conclude their preparations with a clash against Norway on June 7 in New York City.

Reports indicate that Morocco will begin camping on May 22, although the final squad is not expected to be announced until a week later.

Morocco have been drawn in Group C of the World Cup, where they will open their campaign against Brazil on June 13 in New York before taking on Scotland in Boston on June 19. Their final group match will be against Haiti on June 24 in Atlanta.

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