July 16, 2025 — Belly of the Beast
Cuba’s girls’ softball team missed the Caribbean qualifier to the Little League World Series after the coaches and staff were denied U.S. visas.
The girls, ages 9 to 10, who came from La Palma, Pinar del Río, were supposed to play in Puerto Rico starting Monday. They never made their flight. While they received visas, no adult in the delegation did.
Cuba’s Baseball and Softball Federation called the decision unfair and discriminatory, adding that it is “cruel to play with the expectations of kids who have worked very hard.”
This is just the latest indication that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has imposed a de facto travel ban on Cuban sports.
According to Gisleidy Sosa, director of international relations at Cuba’s National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation, no Cuban athlete this year has been granted a visa at the U.S. Embassy in Havana.
Cuba’s national women’s volleyball and men’s basketball teams also recently missed competitions in Puerto Rico due to visa denials, while a dozen athletes were barred from attending the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championship in Florida.
The denials are not technically a result of Trump’s partial travel ban on Cuban nationals, which exempts athletes traveling to the U.S. for competitions “in major sporting events.” But the final decision for visa approvals ultimately depends on Rubio’s State Department.
Some of the biggest international competitions require Cuban teams to obtain U.S. visas since world and Olympic qualifiers often take place in the United States or Puerto Rico.
The 2028 Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles, where any Cuban athlete who manages to qualify could be subject to Rubio’s whims – assuming he is still in the job.
Watch our report with reactions to visa denials from Cuba’s national men’s basketball team HERE.
