Ten players from Jamaican club denied entry to US

The Concacaf Champions Cup involves teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean Ten players from Jamaican side Mount Pleasant have been denied a visa to enter the United States for Wednesday's Concacaf Champions Cup tie against LA Galaxy. Mount Pleasant, winners of the 2025 Concacaf Caribbean Cup, are set to make their Champions Cup debut against Galaxy at the Dignity Health Sports Park in California. The Jamaican side have been forced to call up a number of academy players for the fixture. "We don't want to just show up for the game, we want to be able to compete, but we are not being given the opportunity to be at our best," Mount Pleasant sporting director Paul Christie told the Jamaica Observer. , external Mount Pleasant's squad includes seven players from the Caribbean island nation of Haiti. United States President Donald Trump expanded a travel ban that came into force on 1 January, which bars Haiti nationals from entering the US. Exemptions are in place for events such as the World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the US this summer. The Champions Cup is organised by Concacaf and involves teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. It is unclear if an exemption is in place for the tournament. BBC Sport has contacted Concacaf and Mount Pleasant for comment. The visa complications highlight a potential issue for Haiti at this summer's World Cup, which Canada and Mexico are co-hosting alongside the United States. Haiti have qualified for the World Cup for the second time in their history, and have been drawn in a group with Morocco, Scotland and Brazil. While the United States says players will be given exemptions to travel bans, the same has not been promised to spectators. In January, the US State Department said a Fifa Pass appointment, which allows Fifa World Cup 2026 ticket holders to access prioritised visa interview appointments in the United States, does not allow people "who are otherwise not eligible" to be issued a visa. Guidance from the State Department specified there are exceptions for "any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives". However, it added "the exception does not apply to fans or spectators". The US will host 78 of the 104 matches at the World Cup across 11 cities, including the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Follow your club with BBC Sport Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast Get football news sent straight to your phone Keeper Kinsky substituted after only 17 minutes as Spurs collapse at Atletico Lamine Yamal stuns Newcastle with 96th-minute penalty in draw Pressure of representing England has shown - Borthwick The Mitford sisters refuse to play by the rules The Triad boss who built a criminal empire Hannah Fry delves into the rapidly emerging world of AI Ozzy Osbourne: Did the Prince of Darkness live up to his name? The Brits travelling in their thousands to 'Costa del Cheltenham' The 'big brother' helping Arteta's Arsenal 'over the line' Fallout from first race since biggest rule changes - F1 Q&A Frozen out? The 'mixed' team event with one female player Four big calls Borthwick could make to revive England Old Firm chaos: What happened? Who said what? What now? Should lower-ranked teams always play at home in the FA Cup? India triumphant again - do the rest have any hope of catching them? Five talking points from round four of Six Nations Is time-wasting in the Premier League getting worse? 'Everything was groundbreaking' - 50 years since historic Cheltenham race Why is figure skating not in the Paralympics? Winter Paralympics daily guide: Seven golds to be decided on Wednesday 'England's style of play is tedious and doesn't allow players to express themselves' Was new-era F1 really racing or more like a computer game? Russell 'imperious' and Bearman 'raced beautifully' - driver ratings 'I saw a drone hit the US consulate' - Patten's escape from Dubai Who is to blame for Spurs' chaotic descent towards relegation? 'There were tears - but I had to peek behind curtain of head injuries in rugby' Iran, the US, and a World Cup that starts in three months Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.