Citizens of a select group of countries who have purchased tickets to this summer’s World Cup matches in the U.S. will no longer be required to provide thousands of dollars in visa bonds to enter the country and attend the tournament.

On Wednesday, the State Department confirmed the Trump administration is waiving a prior mandate requiring visitors from Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia to post visa bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the U.S.

The department imposed the bond requirement last year for countries it said had high rates of visa overstays and other security concerns as part of a broader immigration crackdown. Travelers from at least 50 countries are subject to the bond requirement, but the five aforementioned nations’ teams have qualified for this year’s World Cup.

World Cup team players, coaches and some staff already had been exempt from the bond requirement as part of the administration’s orders to prioritize the processing of visas for the tournament.

STATE DEPT TO START ROLLING OUT FIFA PASS FOR FOREIGN SOCCER FANS LOOKING TO ATTEND WORLD CUP IN US

“The United States is excited to organize the biggest and best FIFA World Cup in history,” Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said. “We are waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets” and opted in to the FIFA Pass system that allows expedited visa appointments as of April 15.

In its own statement, FIFA said the announcement shows “our ongoing collaboration with the U.S. government and the White House task force for the FIFA World Cup to deliver a successful, record-breaking and unforgettable global event” and thanked the administration for the partnership.

However, the administration has barred travelers from Iran and Haiti, though World Cup players, coaches and other support personnel are exempt. Travelers from the Ivory Coast and Senegal face partial restrictions under an expanded version of that travel ban, even without the visa bond exemption.

The World Cup begins June 11 and is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Some measures from the administration prompted Amnesty International and dozens of U.S. civil and human rights groups to issue a “World Cup travel advisory” that warns travelers about the climate in the U.S.

In a report this month, the main advocacy group for U.S. hotels blamed visa barriers and other geopolitical issues for “significantly suppressing international demand,” leading to hotel bookings for the soccer tournament that are far below what had initially been anticipated.

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As of early April, the number of World Cup fans affected by the bond requirement was believed to be relatively small, perhaps only about 250 people, according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. But they said that number was changing rapidly as more people buy tickets and some with tickets opt against traveling.

FIFA had requested the waiver, which had to be approved by the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, officials said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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CITY SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

Quarterfinals

OPEN DIVISION

#8 Wilmington Banning at #1 Birmingham, Thursday

#4 Carson 6, #5 Garfield 5

#6 Granada Hills 2, #3 Bell 0

#2 El Camino Real 11, #7 South Gate 0 (5 innings)

First Round

DIVISION I

#1 Sylmar 7, #16 LA Marshall 0

#8 Chatsworth 5, #9 North Hollywood 4

#5 Sun Valley Poly 1, #12 LA University 0 (8 innings)

#13 Verdugo Hills at #4 LACES

#3 Venice 11, #14 San Fernando 8

#6 Palisades 1, #11 Narbonne 0 (8 innings)

#10 Taft 13, #7 San Pedro 9

#2 Cleveland 18, #15 Maywood CES 0 (5 innings)

DIVISION II

#16 Granada Hills Kennedy 13, #1 Monroe 3

#8 Port of Los Angeles 5, #9 Bravo 3

#5 LA Roosevelt 17, #12 Northridge Academy 0

#4 LA Wilson 10, #13 Legacy 9

#3 Torres 5, #14 Vaughn 0

#6 South East 7, #11 Rancho Dominguez 1

#7 Franklin 1, #10 Downtown Magnets 0

#2 Sherman Oaks CES 3, #15 Chavez 0

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)

Second Round

DIVISION III

#16 Fairfax at #1 WISH Academy

#9 LA Hamilton at #8 Fulton

#13 Westchester vs. #4 Sotomayor at Arroyo Park

#21 King/Drew at #5 Sun Valley Magnet

#11 Eagle Rock vs. Triumph Charter at SIBL, 2:30 p.m.

#19 Arleta at #3 Marquez

#23 Gardena at #7 Fremont

#15 Roybal at #2 Van Nuys

Note: Divisions I-III quarterfinals May 16; Divisions II-III semifinals May 19; Open and Division I semifinals May 20 at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. at TBD; Open and Division I finals May 23 at Dodger Stadium (times TBD).

The New York Mets’ offseason priority for this year was run prevention, and with a little help from an umpire, that’s exactly what they got.

Just about everything has gone badly for the Mets this season, as they boast one of the league’s worst records at 16-25 despite their league-high $334.8 million payroll.

But finally, something broke their way.

The Mets led the Detroit Tigers, 3-2, in the top of the fifth inning when Detroit’s Riley Greene singled into right field, and Colt Keith headed to third.

Keith was safe, beating the throw that got away from third base, so Keith took a gamble and started sprinting toward home.

EX-MLB PITCHER ACCUSED OF ‘CONTROLLING BEHAVIOR’ IN UGLY DIVORCE BATTLE AMID NUMEROUS 911 CALLS TO HOME

However, when Keith started heading toward the plate, he crossed paths with third-base umpire Rob Drake. The two collided, and Drake fell right to the infield grass.

That held Keith up for just a couple of seconds, and it was enough for Keith to be thrown out by pitcher Freddy Peralta at home, ending the inning and killing a rally the Tigers could have needed.

The game wound up getting away from the Tigers later, as the Mets scored three runs in both the sixth and eighth innings, and the Mets’ bullpen was able to hold Detroit scoreless for the rest of the game for a 10-2 New York win.

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The Mets are the owners of the league’s longest losing streak of the season at 12 games, but they have now won six of their last 10 as they desperately try to turn things around.

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