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A newly expanded policy from the Trump administration could require travelers from five World Cup-qualified African countries to post a bond of up to $15,000 in order to enter the United States for the tournament.Visa bonds function as security deposits: a one-time payment that is meant to be refunded after a traveler exits the US under the terms of their visa. The amounts typically range between $5,000 and $15,000, and are required for passport holders from certain countries to enter the US legally under B-1 or B-2 visas, which are necessary for business travelers or tourists.The US State Department has mandated these bonds since launching a pilot program in late 2025, targeting many of the same countries affected by the Trump travel ban along with others – predominantly nations from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and parts of Asia. Last week, the state department announced an expansion of the program, with visitors from 50 countries now required to submit the deposits if requested by US consular officials.Among those 50 countries, five have qualified for the World Cup, all from Africa: Algeria, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia. Though refundable, the cost of the bonds alone is sufficient to make travel to the US prohibitively expensive for most fans from these nations, where average annual income levels are approximately $5,000 per year or less. Tunisia is scheduled to play one group-stage game in the US with the other two in Mexico. Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire will play twice in the US and once in Canada. Algeria and Cape Verde will compete in all three of their group-stage matches in Mexico.Even if affordable for some supporters, the multi-thousand dollar requirement adds another significant complication for fans from these countries, including exorbitant ticket prices for the games themselves, hotel rates far above average, plus additional visa processing delays and potential safety concerns created by the presence of federal immigration officers from ICE and other agencies in US cities.It remains unclear which entities, if any, will be exempt from the visa bonds. While Trump's travel bans contain exemptions for athletes and officials participating in major sporting events like the World Cup, the visa bonds program contains no such provision.The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to commence on June 11, with the final taking place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Republic of Ireland captain Seamus Coleman has urged his team to complete the job of qualifying for the World Cup, saying they have a duty to lift the country. The Republic visit the Czech Republic on Thursday in a World Cup playoff semi-final.Coleman believes that recent history, including painful playoff defeats in the past, will be forgotten in Prague. He emphasized that the current team, led by manager Heimir Hallgrímsson, has the confidence and momentum to end a 24-year absence from the World Cup.The team has been allocated only 1024 tickets for the semi-final, but Coleman insists the Republic will not be intimidated in Prague. He added that the team's recent wins over Portugal and Hungary have lifted the country and given people something to talk about.Coleman's confidence was shared by Hallgrímsson, who recently extended his contract with the Football Association of Ireland until the end of the Euro 2028 campaign. The Czech Republic pose a conundrum ahead of the semi-final, with Miroslav Koubek taking charge of the national team.

Football's world governing body FIFA is facing a lawsuit from supporter groups over allegedly 'excessive' ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup final. The Football Supporters Europe (FSE) and Euroconsumers have filed a formal complaint with the European Commission, accusing FIFA of abusing its monopoly position to impose high ticket prices and unfair purchasing conditions on European fans.The FSE claims that the cheapest openly available final tickets start at $4,185, more than seven times the cost of the cheapest 2022 World Cup final ticket. In contrast, the cheapest UEFA Euro 2024 final tickets were priced at 95 euros ($100). FIFA's own bid documents had projected an average ticket price of $1,408, which has not been met.The 2026 World Cup, hosted jointly by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, will feature 104 matches and 48 teams. While almost seven million tickets have been made available, prices have soared for in-demand games, with most tickets costing at least $200 for matches involving leading nations. Some tickets on FIFA's official resale site are being offered at astronomical prices, such as $143,750 for a category three seat at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.The FSE argues that FIFA's actions are unfair and unacceptable in a competitive market, highlighting the initial promise of tickets being available from as little as $21, but instead starting at $60 for some matches.

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are to reunite on stage for the first time in 17 years, playing the Ugly Sisters in the London Palladium pantomime production of Cinderella. The duo, who began performing together almost 50 years ago, predicted that their performance “won’t be pretty”, but expressed their excitement at finally fulfilling their dream of playing the iconic roles.The pair have a long history of collaboration, starting with their meeting as students at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. They went on to create a hugely successful sketch comedy series for the BBC and have toured together several times, including their last tour, French and Saunders: Still Alive!, in 2008-09. In 2020, they teamed up again for a podcast, Titting About.Michael Harrison, the producer of the Palladium panto, expressed his delight at having French and Saunders on board, citing their legendary chemistry and razor-sharp humour as a guarantee of a special experience for audiences. The production will also star Dex Lee as Prince Charming, Hope Dawe as Cinderella, and several other notable actors who have previously starred in pantos at the venue.The London Palladium has a history of hosting successful pantomimes, including Clary's 2016 production of Cinderella, described by the Guardian as a “tsunami of smut”. More recently, Catherine Tate joined the cast for the 2025 panto, Sleeping Beauty, which broke records with over 137,000 theatregoers attending.French and Saunders' production of Cinderella runs from 5 December to 10 January, with tickets going on sale on 2 April.

The Pakistan Super League (PSL), the country's top domestic T20 cricket tournament, will take place in empty stadiums due to the recent surge in oil prices. The decision was announced by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, citing a fuel shortage caused by the Middle East conflict.The league, set to start on Thursday, will now be hosted in only two cities: Lahore and Karachi. The opening match will be played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The PCB has also cancelled the opening ceremony that was scheduled to take place in Lahore.Pakistan is facing soaring oil prices due to the conflict in the Middle East, prompting the government to advise citizens to restrict their movements. Naqvi stated that it wouldn't be feasible to have 30,000 people in stadiums daily while people are being asked to limit their travel.The PCB will refund tickets to fans who had purchased them and will also compensate franchise owners for the loss of revenue from gate receipts. Naqvi apologized to the four cities – Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, and Peshawar – that will no longer host PSL games this season.Several foreign players, including Australians Jake Fraser-McGurk and Spencer Johnson, South African Ottneil Baartman, and West Indian Gudakesh Motie, have pulled out of the PSL due to personal reasons. The PCB consulted with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the PCB patron, and the eight franchises before making the decision to stage the games without spectators.