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The Swedish Embassy in Havana denied visas to a Cuban soccer team made up of players under 16 years old who had been invited to participate in the Gothia Cup 2026, which is considered the largest youth soccer tournament in the world and will take place in Gothenburg from July 12 to 18.
The decision was communicated last Monday to representatives of the Cuban Football Association (AFC) and condemned this Wednesday by the Cuban embassy in Stockholm, which described the measure as "totally exclusive, discriminatory, and hurtful."
According to the Cuban diplomatic representation, the Swedish authorities justified their refusal by stating that "applicants must demonstrate that they have sufficient socioeconomic ties to their country of origin," one of the requirements outlined in the regulations for issuing Schengen visas, which aims to assess the risk of irregular stay following the trip.
The Cuban embassy rejected that argument and questioned its application to a group of teenagers.
"It is even more serious to attempt to impose such restrictive measures on children, considering that the Cuban team is made up of athletes under 16 years old," it stated in a statement.
The team's participation had been promoted by the Swedish club Proletären FF (Proletären Fotbollsförening), based in Gothenburg, which extended the official invitation. The project began to take shape in 2024 with the support of Swedish civil society organizations connected to cooperation with Cuba.
If the trip had taken place, it would have been the first time a Cuban team participated in the Gothia Cup, a tournament founded in 1975 that brings together around 50,000 young footballers from nearly 90 countries every year.
The Cuban diplomatic mission stated that this is not the first time a sports delegation from the island has faced difficulties in obtaining international visas.
"Cuban teams have faced this type of exclusion before, primarily at events hosted by the United States. On this occasion, Swedish authorities are joining this unfair, politicized, and discriminatory stance," he stated.
In recent years, several Cuban sports delegations have reported visa denials from the United States. In June 2025, the women's volleyball team was unable to attend the Final Four of NORCECA after not receiving their visas. That same year, Cuban baseball coaches who were set to participate in the Little League World Series were also excluded.
Most recently, in February 2026, eight members of the Cuban technical delegation were excluded from the VI World Baseball Classic due to the denial of their visas, including former pitcher Pedro Luis Lazo.
The Cuban embassy also stated that Sweden's decision contradicts the principles of non-discrimination promoted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), although the Gothia Cup is a youth tournament organized independently and is not part of the official Olympic movement calendar.
The statement concludes with a rejection of the measure, which it deems contrary to "the principles of sports and the historical exchanges of sports and cultural relations between both countries."
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