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The Trump administration has unveiled various “major sporting events” beyond the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games where athletes and coaches will be exempt from a broad visa ban in nearly 40 countries, allowing them to travel to the United States to compete.
In a cable sent Wednesday to all U.S. embassies and consulates, the State Department said athletes, coaches and support staff for the World Cup, Olympics and events sanctioned or operated by a long list of collegiate and professional sports leagues and associations would be excluded from the full and partial travel bans subject to citizens of 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority.
But foreign spectators, media and corporate sponsors who want to attend the events will still be affected by the ban unless they qualify for another exemption.
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The Trump administration has unveiled the “major sporting events” beyond the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games where athletes and coaches will be exempt from a broad visa ban. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
“Only a small subset of travelers to the World Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games and other major sporting events will qualify for the exemption,” the announcement reads.
The federal government has issued several immigration and travel bans and other visa restrictions as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to curb immigration, although the administration still wants athletes, coaches and fans to be able to attend major sporting events in the United States
Trump’s proclamation last month banning the issuance of visas to the 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority had included an exemption for athletes and staff competing in some sporting events such as the World Cup and Olympics, and a decision on the other sporting events that would be covered would be made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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Foreign spectators, media and corporate sponsors wishing to attend the events will still be affected by the ban unless they qualify for another exemption. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
The covered events, according to the cable, include all competitions and qualifying events for the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games and Parapan American Games; events held, sanctioned or recognized by a US national governing body; all Special Olympics competitions and qualifying events; and official events and competitions held or sanctioned by FIFA or its confederations.
Official events and competitions held by the International Military Sports Council, the International University Sports Federation and the National Collegiate Athletic Association as well as those hosted or sanctioned by American professional sports leagues such as the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Women’s National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and Little League, National Hockey League, NASCAR Professional Women’s Hockey Association, NASCAR Professional Formula Women’s Hockey, Golf League. Golf Association, LIV Golf, Major League Rugby, Major League Soccer, World Wrestling Entertainment, Ultimate Fighting Championship and All Elite Wrestling are also covered by the exemption.
Other events and leagues may be added to the list in the future, the cable said.
Other events and leagues may be added to the list in the future. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
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Under the new visa restrictions, a complete travel ban covers citizens of Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and persons with Palestinian Authority-issued passports.
A partial ban applies to citizens of Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Togo, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
