The United States has released a list of major sporting competitions that will allow athletes, coaches and essential support staff to enter the country despite a broad travel ban affecting citizens of nearly 40 countries.
According to the U.S. State Department, the events exempt from travel restrictions are in addition to the already announced exemptions for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games.
In a cable sent on Wednesday to all U.S. embassies and consulates, the department explained that athletes, coaches and team officials participating in approved global, collegiate and professional competitions would not be subject to the full or partial visa bans imposed on 39 countries and holders of Palestinian Authority-issued passports.
However, the exemption does not apply to foreign spectators, members of the media or corporate sponsors attending the same competitions, unless they qualify under separate visa provisions.
“Only a small subset of travellers for the World Cup, Olympics, Paralympics and other major competitions will qualify for the exception,” the cable stated.
The document listed the events exempt from travel restrictions to include all competitions and qualifying tournaments for the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan-American Games and Para Pan-American Games. It also covers events hosted, sanctioned or recognised by U.S. National Governing Bodies, the Special Olympics, and football competitions organised or endorsed by FIFA and its confederations.
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Further exemptions apply to events hosted or endorsed by the International Military Sports Council, the International University Sports Federation and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Professional leagues covered include the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB and Little League, NHL, Professional Women’s Hockey League, NASCAR, Formula One, PGA, LPGA, LIV Golf, Major League Soccer, Major League Rugby, WWE, UFC and All Elite Wrestling.
The State Department noted that additional competitions could be added to the list of events exempt from travel restrictions at a later date.
Under the policy, a full travel ban applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, as well as holders of Palestinian Authority passports.
A partial ban affects citizens of Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Togo, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
ESPN