Visa Denials Leave Jamaica's Mount Pleasant FA Short-Handed For Champions Cup Clash
A Jamaican football club is heading into a high-stakes CONCACAF Champions Cup tie severely undermanned, not because of injuries but because of visa denials.
Ten players from Mount Pleasant FA have been refused entry into the United States ahead of their clash with LA Galaxy, forcing the club to field academy players in what would have been a historic debut on the continental stage.
Mount Pleasant, champions of the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup in 2025, were set to make their first-ever Champions Cup appearance at Dignity Health Sports Park in California. But ten members of their squad, including seven Haitian nationals, have been blocked from travelling to the United States.
The denials are linked to an expanded travel ban signed by President Donald Trump, which took effect on January 1st, and restricts entry for Haitian citizens.
CONCACAF has confirmed the match will proceed, placing responsibility on Mount Pleasant for not completing the visa application process within the required window following the competition draw in December.
The sporting director of the Jamaican side says the club simply wants the opportunity to compete on equal footing. The situation now raises serious questions ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup, for which Haiti has qualified, with the United States co-hosting alongside Canada and Mexico.
While player exemptions have been granted, no such guarantee has been extended to Haitian fans wishing to attend matches on American soil.
