From League of Legends to VALORANT to the FGC, esports scenes have expressed concerns about attending and competing at events held in the United States amid ongoing tensions and visa issues.

Back in January 2026, KRU Esports’ IGL, Matias “Saadhak” Delipetro, revealed that the team could miss the VCT Americas Kickoff event due to the difficulty of getting visas for the United States. KRU announced a substitute lineup after its entire roster faced visa delays. Escapists’ staff wondered why the event couldn’t be moved to Brazil instead, but figured Riot wanted to keep it near its studio and employees.

However, continued visa issues and growing concerns over the United States’ political turmoil have other esports scenes feeling wary about continued tournaments in the country. Not only are teams having issues getting visas approved in time, but a lot of fans have expressed fear over attending events in America as the Trump Administration amps up ICE. Many fans have expressed feeling unsafe.

A year ago, the FGC also questioned if fighting game tourneys should be moved elsewhere, especially with top Japanese players struggling to get visas. One fan said on Reddit: “I know historically, especially in Tekken, players have had problems securing visas to play here in the states. I feel like that issue is going to get way worse, and I think many foreign players will simply refuse to come here. I feel like this will be a giant hit on an already weakened scene. Thoughts?”

Someone answered: “Even beyond players not getting in because of their nationality, a lot of folks won’t come because of the politics/ risk.  Hell, I live in the US and skip some events because of where they’re held. When generally friendly governments like the UK issue travel warnings, that’s a sign that things are bad.”

Another simply said: “We’re cooked.”

Sheep Esports asked Chris Greeley, the Global Head of League of Legends Esports, how he felt about continuing to hold events in America, and the community didn’t like his response.

Chris Greeley: “There Were Always Immigration Concerns” at Other Worlds Events

In an interview conducted by Sheep Esports, Greeley was asked how he felt about continued visa delays for US-based events, which could heavily impact Worlds. This year, it’s returning to North America, hitting Los Angeles for Play-Ins, Allen, Texas for Quarterfinals and Semi-Finals, and New York City for the Finals.

Stated Riot: “For the biggest moment of the year, Worlds is heading to Brooklyn! The Grand Final will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, one of the most iconic arenas in the world. It’s the perfect setting to crown a new World Champion, honor the legacy of League of Legends, and unite fans from around the globe for an unforgettable night.”

However, sentiment from the League of Legends community has been mixed. If a qualified team were unable to attend Worlds due to a visa issue, that could really put a damper on the entire event. Others wondered if they’d be safe in big cities, which have been full of ICE agents, protests, and other political chaos.

Greeley didn’t seem all too concerned. He said: “We’re always looking at contingencies, regardless of where we are in the world. I can’t remember an international event in the last couple of years where there weren’t some visa or immigration concerns right up until the event.

“If one or two teams are having trouble, we’ll continue working directly with those teams, along with our agencies and any government contacts we can leverage. That’s essentially our standard operating procedure — to do everything we can to help teams gain entry. In situations where there are isolated cases — like a single player or team unable to attend — we do look for fallback options, and we’ve done that in the past.”

In other words, Greeley didn’t seem to think anything was out of the ordinary. Fans noted that having this kind of view could be harmful to Worlds, basically not taking any action until something does happen and it’s too late.

One passionate fan noted that the “immigration concerns” in the past don’t compare to the “immigration concerns” with the United States in 2026. Rather than just being barred from entering a country, fans are now afraid of being “killed in the street” or being taken to “concentration camps” as the presence of ICE agents grows.

He wrote: “It’s not at all the same.”