A youth baseball team from Venezuela will not be competing in this year’s Little League Senior Baseball World Series after being denied entry into the United States due to visa issues.
The Cacique Mara Little League, based in Maracaibo, had earned its spot in the tournament by winning the Latin American championship in Mexico. But despite their triumph, the team was unable to obtain the necessary travel documents to attend the competition, which is held annually in Easley, South Carolina, for players aged 13 to 16.
In a statement, Little League International confirmed the news:
“The Cacique Mara Little League team from Venezuela was unfortunately unable to obtain the appropriate visas to travel to the Senior League Baseball World Series.”
Their place will now be taken by the runner-up team, Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League from Victoria, Mexico, in order to ensure representation from the Latin America region.
“While this is extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes, the Tournament Committee has made the decision to advance Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League to ensure the region is represented and to give these players, coaches, and families a memorable World Series experience,” the organization added.
The visa denial comes just weeks after President Donald Trump announced a travel ban targeting citizens of 12 countries, citing national security concerns. While certain exceptions are being made for athletes preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, no such exemptions were granted to the Venezuelan youth team.
Two weeks before the tournament, the team had traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, to apply for U.S. visas at the American embassy — but the process ended in disappointment.
In a statement released from Bogotá, the team expressed their heartbreak:
“It is a mockery on the part of Little League to keep us here in Bogotá with the hope that our children can fulfill their dreams of participating in a world championship. What do we do with so much injustice? What do we do with the pain caused to our children?”
Kendrick Gutierrez, president of the Venezuelan league, also voiced outrage over the decision:
“They told us Venezuela is on a list because Trump says Venezuelans are a threat to the security of his state. It hasn’t been easy. We earned the right to represent Latin America in the world championship.”
Gutierrez added that this may be the first time a qualified team from the region has been denied participation due to geopolitics:
“They’re going to replace us because relations have been severed. It’s not fair. I don’t understand why they put Mexico in at the last minute and left Venezuela out.”
The visa denial highlights how ongoing U.S. immigration and foreign policy decisions are affecting even youth sports and international competitions — leaving young athletes caught in the middle of diplomatic tensions.
