United States | Trump travel ban update: Exemptions for certain participants in “major sporting events”

Major media news outlets have reported that the State Department has classified certain athletic competitions as “major sporting events” and that eligible athletes and coaches may be exempt from travel bans in order to travel to the United States for participation in these designated events.

Key Points:

• According to an Associated Press article, a State Department cable sent on Jan. 14, 2026, to all U.S. embassies and consulates said, “Athletes, coaches and support staff for the World Cup, the Olympics and events endorsed or run by a long list of collegiate and professional sporting leagues and associations would not be subject to the full and partial travel bans that apply to citizens of 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority.”
• The article also said that the cable emphasized “foreign spectators, media and corporate sponsors planning to attend the same events would still be banned unless they qualify for another exemption.”
• Designated “major sporting events” were said to include, among other events, “‘all competitions and qualifying events’ for the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan-American Games, and Para Pan-American Games; events hosted, sanctioned or recognized by a U.S. National Governing Body; all competitions and qualifying events for the Special Olympics; and official events and competitions hosted or endorsed by FIFA, soccer’s governing body, or its confederations.”
• Reporting also highlighted the following events to be covered by the exemption: “Official events and competitions hosted by the International Military Sports Council, the International University Sports Federation and the National Collegiate Athletic Association as well as those hosted or endorsed by U.S. professional sports leagues such as the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and Women’s National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and Little League, National Hockey League, Professional Women’s Hockey League, NASCAR, Formula 1, the Professional Golf Association, Ladies Professional Golf Association, LIV Golf, Major League Rugby, Major League Soccer, World Wrestling Entertainment, Ultimate Fighting Championship and All Elite Wrestling.”

Additional Information: The Trump administration’s Dec. 16, 2025, proclamation provides for an exception to the travel and entry restrictions for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including the coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State.”

Until recent reporting, it was unclear if an event qualified as an “other major sporting event” for purposes of this exemption. Although the State Department has not yet released public-facing guidance regarding clarification on what qualifies as an “other major sporting event,” it has released event-specific guidance regarding FIFA World Cup 26 visa interview appointments and clarification on certain immigration policies on its FIFA PASS FAQ webpage.

BAL will continue to monitor related developments and provide updates.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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