The 2026 World Athletics Cross-Country Championships are meant to showcase the best young talent from around the world. But surprisingly, one country—Ethiopia, a powerhouse in the U-20 men’s event, winning medals at every edition since 1982—is now left scrambling because of visa trouble.

Ethiopia was supposed to send a team of 6 to Tallahassee, Florida, but visa rejections from the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia have prevented most of its team from traveling.

So far, only one U-20 male athlete, Ayele Sewnet, was approved to compete, leaving the nation unable to field enough runners to score. With four runners required to score a team result, Ethiopia’s legendary streak is set to end soon.

Their troubles are compounded by the fact that their U-20 women’s team is also mired in bureaucracy. With only three U-20 women, including Marta Alemayo, the defending champion, receiving their visas, the team won’t be able to score either.

Like the men, the women are also trying to protect a 27-year streak, though time might be running out for Ethiopia to find a solution before the meet starts on January 10.

Amensisa Kebede, the general secretary of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, confirmed that at least 14 athletes and several officials were denied visas, with the embassy offering no explanation for the rejections.

Despite submitting support letters, Kebede says, “We have presented a support letter and an invitation letter from World Athletics, and we have sent them an email from the local organizing committee, and also have brought our foreign minister’s support letter.”

The Ethiopian Athletics Federation first submitted their visa applications on December 12, one month after their national trials. But among the 34 visa requests, 23 were denied. A second round of application, submitted on December 30, yielded the same result.

While no official reasoning has been given, the application process began after the Trump administration announced a number of new changes regarding the issuance of new visas. But still, the Ethiopian contingent remains hopeful.

It includes stars like Berihu Aregawi, who is a two-time silver medalist at the competition, and teen star Mehary, who has run 12:45 in the 5,000m and 26:37 in the 10,000m.

While the full senior men’s and women’s teams, including the mixed relay, are on the start line, the absence of the U20 teams is a big blow for Ethiopia. But Ethiopia is not the only country that has been left in the lurch.

Other countries affected by American visa issues

The US embassy has suspended visa services for nationals from 19 countries. One of which is Zambia, which has also been affected by these restrictions. For now, Zambia has registered three athletes for the Cross-Country Championship, including Thelma Kanyinda, Moldest Kalobwe, and Costern Chiyiba.

The current administration has halted the issuance of new visas to citizens from a number of countries, including Zambia. For Team Zambia, the only silver lining is that there are exemptions for athletes, meaning last-minute changes can’t be ruled out.

Zambia Athletics president Bernard Bwalya said, “We did apply for visas, but they are not yet out. The athletes are scheduled to leave on Monday next week.”

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Joining Zambia in visa limbo is Team Eritrea, who are also facing serious visa restrictions. But this isn’t the first time this nation has faced such issues. In 2023 and 2024, when the World Cross Country Championships were held in Serbia and Australia, they were restricted from traveling to the two countries.

Other countries that are on the restricted list are: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, the Ivory Coast, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.

While not every country is set to field a team at the meet, the uncertainty continues for the ones who are.