The Cuban Baseball Federation states that it is “false” that the Island does not cooperate with the United States on “migration matters.”
14ymedio/EFE, Havana, February 26, 2026 – The United States denied visas to eight members of the Island’s national team that will participate in the World Baseball Classic to be held from March 5 to 17. Among them are the president of the organization, Juan Reinaldo Pérez Pardo; the general secretary, Carlos del Pino Muñoz; and the pitching coach and former pitcher Pedro Luis Lazo Iglesias.
The Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation (FCBS) considers that the U.S. response, one month after the visa applications were submitted, “turns its back on the reasons on which they are based, on the most elementary principles of sport, and on the commitments assumed by host countries of tournaments of this type.”
The federation states that “citing as a cause what is established in Section 243(d) of that country’s Immigration and Nationality Act disrespects the essence of sport and the responsibility inherent to its participants and places our delegation at an evident disadvantage.”
“It is false that Cuba does not cooperate with the United States on migration matters,” it maintains.
The denial of visas by Washington, according to the FCBS, adds to “the complexities that marked the roster integration process, subject to deadlines different from those set for the rest of the invited countries, due to the need for the organizers to obtain permission from the U.S. Government, essential to invite Cuba.”
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House for a second term, pressure on the Island has increased. Last May, the United States once again included Cuba on the list of countries that do not fully cooperate in its fight against terrorism.
That same month, due to visa denials, the president of the Cuban Olympic Committee, Roberto León Richards, and other officials were unable to participate in meetings of Panam Sports, the Olympic body of the Americas.
Fearing putting his U.S. residency at risk, goalkeeper Raiko Arozarena chose to withdraw last June from playing with Cuba in the Concacaf qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup against Bermuda, which took place at Antonio Maceo Stadium.
At the end of June, the agency France 24 gained access to the letter sent to one of the volleyball players on the national team who had secured a place in the Norceca Final Four. “You are not eligible for a nonimmigrant visa under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, pursuant to the presidential proclamation.”
Cuba was placed alongside the teams of Puerto Rico, Colombia, Panama, and Canada in Group A of the World Baseball Classic, whose group rounds will be played in the U.S. cities of Miami, Florida, Houston, Texas, as well as in San Juan (Puerto Rico) and Tokyo, Japan.
Last February 5, the federation announced the Island’s 30-player roster for the World Baseball Classic, which includes two Major League players and nine minor league players.
Cuban sports authorities have indicated their intention to participate in this event with the aim of repeating the historic fourth-place finish achieved in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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