The proclamation signed by President Trump on June 5, 2025, banning travel to the U.S. for individuals from a dozen countries, includes an exemption for athletes, coaches, and support personnel involved in “major sporting events.” This decision raises questions surrounding what will be classified as a 'major' event, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio tasked with making those distinctions.
Numerous international sporting events are set to take place in the U.S. within the next few months, including the CONCACAF Gold Cup, starting June 14, which will be hosted in several U.S. cities and one in Canada. Countries like Iran and Haiti, which have athletes eligible to compete, are among those on the banned list, while other nations like Chad and Yemen lack significant representation in international sports.
Alongside the Gold Cup, additional events such as the Club World Cup will commence on the same date, featuring teams comprising global talent, although no participant team hails from the restricted list. Both CONCACAF and FIFA have yet to comment on the potential ramifications of the travel ban for their competitions.
Notably, events such as the under-19 softball World Cup and the world skateboarding championships may be deemed less significant and possibly excluded from the exemption list. With major races like the Chicago and New York marathons also on the horizon, Rubio faces some challenging decisions concerning participation allowances.
With the Summer Olympics in 2028 and the World Cup shared with Canada and Mexico scheduled for 2026, the impact of this travel restriction on college athletics and international student athletes is another area of concern as rules continue to evolve.
