Bundesliga side SV Werder Bremen has pulled the plug on its May 2026 pre-season tour of the United States, citing “unacceptable visa and immigration uncertainty” for players and staff. The club was due to play Major League Soccer opposition in Minnesota and Florida and to run youth clinics for sponsors but told reporters on 21 February that it could not guarantee timely ESTA or P-1 visa approvals after new U.S. entry-screening rules were introduced this month.
Team officials say multiple non-EU squad members were flagged for in-person interviews stretching into April, well beyond the normal two-week turnaround. American consulates have faced a backlog since President Trump’s February 5 executive order mandating additional security vetting for travellers who have visited certain regions—including parts of the Middle East and North Africa—within the past ten years. While most German passport holders still qualify for visa-waiver travel, supporting coaches, medical staff and dual-national players fell into visa categories now subject to extended background checks.
For organisations that can’t afford such last-minute surprises, VisaHQ’s Germany hub (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) offers a streamlined solution: the service tracks shifting interview wait-times in real time, pre-screens documentation for red flags and liaises with U.S. consulates to accelerate group appointments. Leveraging an agent like this can help sports clubs and corporate teams keep their travel calendars intact even when rules change overnight.
![Werder Bremen cancels pre-season U.S. tour over tightened American entry checks]()
Bremen’s commercial director estimates a six-figure loss from cancelled sponsor activations and broadcasting rights but says the “risk of key players being stranded in consular limbo” outweighed the financial hit. The club is now exploring a training camp in Austria, whose Schengen-area mobility poses no such barriers.
The episode is a cautionary tale for corporate travel planners. Multinational teams and event organisers should build extra lead-time into U.S. visa workflows, audit staff travel histories against the new risk-flags and consider alternate ports of entry where interview slots are more available. Travel insurers also report a rise in premium surcharges for sports tours involving large delegations.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection stresses that no nationality-based cap has been introduced and that applications will be adjudicated “as expeditiously as security allows.” But with peak summer travel approaching, German firms sending project teams stateside would be wise to check appointment wait-times daily and budget for possible mission reshuffles.
Team officials say multiple non-EU squad members were flagged for in-person interviews stretching into April, well beyond the normal two-week turnaround. American consulates have faced a backlog since President Trump’s February 5 executive order mandating additional security vetting for travellers who have visited certain regions—including parts of the Middle East and North Africa—within the past ten years. While most German passport holders still qualify for visa-waiver travel, supporting coaches, medical staff and dual-national players fell into visa categories now subject to extended background checks.
For organisations that can’t afford such last-minute surprises, VisaHQ’s Germany hub (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) offers a streamlined solution: the service tracks shifting interview wait-times in real time, pre-screens documentation for red flags and liaises with U.S. consulates to accelerate group appointments. Leveraging an agent like this can help sports clubs and corporate teams keep their travel calendars intact even when rules change overnight.
Bremen’s commercial director estimates a six-figure loss from cancelled sponsor activations and broadcasting rights but says the “risk of key players being stranded in consular limbo” outweighed the financial hit. The club is now exploring a training camp in Austria, whose Schengen-area mobility poses no such barriers.
The episode is a cautionary tale for corporate travel planners. Multinational teams and event organisers should build extra lead-time into U.S. visa workflows, audit staff travel histories against the new risk-flags and consider alternate ports of entry where interview slots are more available. Travel insurers also report a rise in premium surcharges for sports tours involving large delegations.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection stresses that no nationality-based cap has been introduced and that applications will be adjudicated “as expeditiously as security allows.” But with peak summer travel approaching, German firms sending project teams stateside would be wise to check appointment wait-times daily and budget for possible mission reshuffles.
