Visa Ban Forces Tonga Football Team to Turn to Diaspora Players in the U.S.

Tongan soccer players scramble to find players already in the US to make up a whole team for the Outriggers Challenge.

By Vaelei Von Dincklage for The New Atoll

Tonga’s national football team, which has qualified for the Outrigger Challenge Cup in June, is now grappling with the impact of the new U.S. visa restrictions. Many members of the squad are unable to travel to the United States, leaving the team scrambling to find a solution ahead of the tournament in Arkansas.

In response, Tongan footballer Maikeli Lomu turned to social media to appeal to the Tongan diaspora for support. He called on anyone with Tongan heritage already living in the United States who can play football to step forward and help represent Tonga in the competition.

“The Tongan men’s team is headed to the Outriggers Cup this June in the United States. The only issue is a lot of our players can’t come. Because of the travel ban and the difficulties with visa applications for Tongan citizens, many people aren’t even allowed to step foot in the U.S.,” he said.

“That said, we’re relying on the Tongan diaspora to make up this team. We currently have about half the team made up of Tongan footballers including myself and players from around the world. But we still need more if you or someone you know is Tongan, meaning they have a Tongan parent or grandparent, they qualify to play on this team. If you play other sports like rugby, American football, basketball, volleyball, pickleball, we still need your participation,” he added.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Lomu resides in Utah, USA and is willing to train any Tongan athletes who will put their hand up to represent Tonga.

His plea on his TikTok and Instagram account has attracted a lot of Tongan nationals around the world and in the US, some of them are willing to play and represent Tonga. Even people who cannot play football or have never played in any sports are eager to represent their country on the international stage of football.

The ban on US visas for Tongan passport holders was announced in 2025 under Presidential Proclamation 10998 and came into effect on January 1, 2026, after the United States cited a 6.45 percent B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate, concerns about incomplete birth registration systems, and what it described as Tonga’s failure to consistently repatriate deportees.

The Tongan football authorities and team representatives have not yet issued statements related to this particular teams participation in the upcoming competition in the United States.