In a surprise move on January 16, the State Department circulated a cable instructing consular posts worldwide to waive the new visa ban for athletes, coaches, officials, and essential support personnel traveling to the United States to take part in internationally sanctioned sporting events.
The exemption applies to competitions sanctioned by Olympic and Paralympic bodies, the Pan-American Games Federation, Special Olympics, and all U.S. National Governing Bodies, as well as professional leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NASCAR, Formula 1, PGA, LPGA, UFC, WWE, and others. Travelers in these categories may continue to apply for B-1/B-2 or P-1/P-2 visas, and ports of entry have been instructed to admit them through January 2030, covering the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
![U.S. carves out sports-event exemption to sweeping visa ban]()
For teams and individuals trying to navigate these evolving requirements efficiently, VisaHQ offers streamlined visa processing and real-time status tracking through its dedicated U.S. portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/). The platform’s group-filing tools and expert support can help sports organizations secure the correct B-1/B-2 or P-class visas quickly, minimizing the risk of last-minute roster disruptions.
Consular officers must annotate visas with the event name and dates; the ban remains in force for family members, journalists, sponsors, and spectators unless they qualify for another exception. Corporate travel managers for sports franchises welcomed the clarification, noting it averts costly roster disruptions and preserves lucrative broadcast contracts. Immigration attorneys caution, however, that support staff who are not listed on a team’s official delegation may still be refused, so clubs should prepare detailed itineraries and employment letters.
Beyond sports, the carve-out signals that Washington is willing to temper hard-line immigration measures when U.S. commercial interests are threatened. Multinational sponsors and hospitality firms should monitor future updates, as the proclamation authorizes the Secretary of State to expand or contract the list of covered events at any time—potentially affecting other large conventions such as CES or South by Southwest.
The exemption applies to competitions sanctioned by Olympic and Paralympic bodies, the Pan-American Games Federation, Special Olympics, and all U.S. National Governing Bodies, as well as professional leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NASCAR, Formula 1, PGA, LPGA, UFC, WWE, and others. Travelers in these categories may continue to apply for B-1/B-2 or P-1/P-2 visas, and ports of entry have been instructed to admit them through January 2030, covering the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
For teams and individuals trying to navigate these evolving requirements efficiently, VisaHQ offers streamlined visa processing and real-time status tracking through its dedicated U.S. portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/). The platform’s group-filing tools and expert support can help sports organizations secure the correct B-1/B-2 or P-class visas quickly, minimizing the risk of last-minute roster disruptions.
Consular officers must annotate visas with the event name and dates; the ban remains in force for family members, journalists, sponsors, and spectators unless they qualify for another exception. Corporate travel managers for sports franchises welcomed the clarification, noting it averts costly roster disruptions and preserves lucrative broadcast contracts. Immigration attorneys caution, however, that support staff who are not listed on a team’s official delegation may still be refused, so clubs should prepare detailed itineraries and employment letters.
Beyond sports, the carve-out signals that Washington is willing to temper hard-line immigration measures when U.S. commercial interests are threatened. Multinational sponsors and hospitality firms should monitor future updates, as the proclamation authorizes the Secretary of State to expand or contract the list of covered events at any time—potentially affecting other large conventions such as CES or South by Southwest.
