Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire, known internationally by its French name but also as Ivory Coast, qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup while facing the most severe access restrictions of any participating nation. Its fans must contend with both a full US travel ban applying to Ivorian nationals and the Visa Bond Pilot Programme requiring bonds of up to $15,000 per person , a combination that makes US-hosted match attendance effectively impossible for the vast majority of supporters. The State Department confirmed on 7 April that it has no data on how these policies will affect tournament attendance.

Côte d'Ivoire is West Africa's economic anchor, with a population of approximately 27 million and an economy built on cocoa , the world's largest producer. The Elephants, as the national team is known, are one of the continent's strongest footballing sides: they have won the Africa Cup of Nations three times (1992, 2015, 2023), with their 2023 title coming on home soil. A golden generation built around players like Didier Drogba made them a fixture in early 2000s World Cup campaigns. The current squad qualified under coach Emerse Faé.

The double barrier Ivorian fans face , travel ban plus bond requirement , makes their situation the starkest test of FIFA's claim that the tournament will be open to all. FIFA has no legal power to override US immigration decisions, and the State Department has explicitly declined to issue sporting-event exemptions. Diplomatic pressure from Ivorian authorities and African football bodies has not yet produced any policy change.