Venezuela’s under-12 national baseball team will not play in the 2026 Caribbean Series Kids. Not because of anything that happened on the field — because of a piece of paper nobody told them they needed.
The delegation — 18 players and their coaching staff — had already spent four days stranded at Bogotá’s airport waiting for Mexico to approve their entry visas. When the visas finally came through, they boarded the plane. Bags stowed, seats taken. Then a border official informed them they also needed a special authorization letter to enter Mexico. Nobody had flagged that requirement before. There was no time to obtain it. The luggage came back off the plane, and the flight was canceled.
Four Days in Bogotá, Visas Approved — and Still Sent Home
According to reporting by Meridiano, the visa process had already stalled the team for days before they ever got to the gate. The LVBP, led by president Giuseppe Palmisano, worked every available channel trying to reverse the situation. It wasn’t enough.
In an official statement, the league confirmed Venezuela will not participate in the III Caribbean Series Kids Nayarit 2026, which opened Monday, August 10 at Estadio Coloso del Pacífico ‘Don Alejo Peralta’ in Tepic, Mexico.
The CBPC Was Clear: Venezuela Did Nothing Wrong
The Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC) issued its own statement and was unambiguous — Venezuela bears no responsibility for what happened. The LVBP met every requirement laid out in the competition’s regulations. What stopped the team was an unexpected immigration demand, an additional document that was never part of the original paperwork, not a failure by the delegation.
This was not a disqualification. Venezuela was not removed from the tournament for any baseball-related reason.
The broader context adds weight to the situation. In late 2025, Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Dominican Republic announced they could not travel to Caracas for the senior Caribbean Series, forcing that tournament to be relocated to Guadalajara. The incident with the youth team arrives against the same backdrop of diplomatic and immigration tensions surrounding Venezuelan baseball internationally — though the CBPC stopped short of attributing any political intent to what occurred.
Back-to-Back Finals, and Now They Don’t Even Get to Start
This wasn’t a fringe team. Venezuela had reached the Caribbean Series Kids final in both 2024 and 2025, falling to the Dominican Republic both times. They were considered one of the favorites heading into this edition.
Without them, the tournament runs with five teams:
- Dominican Republic (defending two-time champion)
- Puerto Rico
- Panama
- Mexico Rojo (Tomateros de Culiacán)
- Mexico Verde (Jaguares de Nayarit)
That last detail is a milestone of its own: it’s the first time in Caribbean Series Kids history that Mexico has sent two separate squads to the same tournament.
The championship game is scheduled for Sunday, August 16. Venezuela will watch it from home — visas approved, tickets in hand, and nowhere to go.
