The United States has designated several major sporting events exempt from President Trump’s visa ban, allowing athletes and essential staff to enter the country despite ongoing travel restrictions for many foreign nationals.
The United States has officially identified a variety of international and domestic sporting events that will be exempt from President Donald Trump’s extensive visa ban. This exemption allows athletes, coaches, and essential support staff to travel to the U.S., even as entry remains restricted for citizens from nearly 40 countries.
According to a State Department cable circulated this week to all U.S. embassies and consulates, the exemptions encompass more than just the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. This decision aims to ensure that significant global sporting events hosted in the U.S. can proceed without interruption, despite the administration’s broader efforts to tighten immigration and travel standards.
The cable specifies that only participants directly involved in competitions—such as athletes, coaches, and essential support personnel—will qualify for the exemption. Foreign spectators, media representatives, sponsors, and other attendees from affected countries will still be barred from entry unless they meet the criteria for a separate visa exemption.
“Only a small subset of travelers for the World Cup, Olympics and Paralympics, and other major sporting events will qualify for the exception,” the cable stated.
This exemption framework arises from a proclamation issued on December 16 by Trump, which imposed full or partial visa bans on citizens from 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority. While this order is part of a broader crackdown on U.S. entry standards, it explicitly carved out exceptions for athletes and staff involved in significant sporting events.
Authority to determine which additional competitions qualify as “major sporting events” was delegated to Marco Rubio. The recent cable represents the most detailed clarification yet on how that authority will be exercised.
Administration officials have indicated that this policy reflects an effort to avoid diplomatic fallout and logistical chaos ahead of high-profile international tournaments. The U.S. is set to host an unprecedented concentration of global sporting events over the next several years, including the World Cup, the Olympics, and numerous international championships across various sports.
The State Department’s guidance lists a broad range of competitions that will be covered under the exemption. These include all Olympic and Paralympic competitions and their qualifying events, as well as the Pan-American Games and Para Pan-American Games.
The exemption also applies to events hosted, sanctioned, or recognized by a U.S. National Governing Body, along with all competitions and qualifying events organized under the Special Olympics.
In the realm of football, the exemption covers all official events and competitions hosted or endorsed by FIFA and its regional confederations, reinforcing guarantees already made to participating nations ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Beyond global tournaments, the list extends into collegiate and professional sports. It includes competitions hosted or endorsed by the International Military Sports Council, the International University Sports Federation, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
A notable aspect of the cable is the inclusion of nearly every major U.S. professional sports league. Athletes and staff associated with the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and National Hockey League will all be eligible for visas under the exemption.
Other organizations covered include NASCAR, Formula 1, the Professional Golf Association, the Ladies Professional Golf Association, LIV Golf, Major League Soccer, Major League Rugby, the Professional Women’s Hockey League, World Wrestling Entertainment, Ultimate Fighting Championship, and All Elite Wrestling.
The cable also notes that additional leagues and competitions may be added in the future, allowing for further expansion as the U.S. prepares to host more international events.
Despite the broad sporting exemptions, the policy remains strict for non-participants. Fans, journalists, and sponsors from affected countries will not be permitted to travel to the U.S. to attend these events unless they qualify under another visa category.
The full travel ban applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and holders of Palestinian Authority-issued passports.
A partial ban is in effect for citizens of Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Togo, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
This policy underscores the Trump administration’s attempt to draw a clear line between facilitating elite-level international sport and maintaining restrictive immigration controls. While athletes and coaches will be able to compete on U.S. soil, the absence of fans and media from banned countries could significantly alter the atmosphere of major tournaments.
For now, the exemptions ensure that competitions can proceed as planned. However, the limited scope of the carve-out highlights that, under the current administration, even the world’s biggest sporting events are not immune from the impact of U.S. immigration policy, according to Global Net News.