Four games are scheduled over the final two weeks of February between Cuba and Nicaragua as the teams representing those two countries prepare for the World Baseball Classic in March.
But those games are now in jeopardy as the lone daily flight between Cuba and Nicaragua has been suspended, and Nicaragua has instituted new visa requirements for Cubans wanting to visit the country, Yusseff Diaz of Pelota Cubana USA posted on X on Thursday.
Fuentes: La próxima Serie Internacional de Béisbol entre Cuba y Nicaragua comenzando el 19 de febrero, que formará parte de sus preparativos para el próximo Clásico Mundial de Béisbol, está en duda por dos razones:
1. Los cubanos ahora necesitan visa para entrar a Nicaragua.… pic.twitter.com/zoCWqkVrnH
— Yusseff305 ???? (@yusseff305) February 12, 2026
The four games are scheduled to take place on Thursday, Jan. 19 at Estadio Roberto Clemente in Mayasa, on Sunday, Feb. 22 at Estadio Rigoberto Lopez Perez in Leon, on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at Estadio Yamil Rios Ugarte in Rivas, and on Friday, Feb. 27 at Estadio Nacional Soberania in Managua.
On Feb. 8, the Nicaraguan government ended visa-free for Cuban citizens to the Central American country. While the visa Cubans now need to enter the country is free, it is a barrier to entry. Nicaragua had long been a landing point for Cubans escaping the island before traveling by land to the United States, according to a report on the change in policy by James Wagner of the New York Times.
Conviasa, the national airline of Venezuela, had been operating a route that took passengers from Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, to Havana. From Havana, the plane flew on to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, before returning to Caracas. But a statement from Conviasa issued Thursday indicated that the schedule on the route would be modified, as a shortage of jet fuel in Cuba and new visa requirements for Cubans wanting to enter Nicaragua forced a change to the airline’s service to those cities.
“The Venezuelan Consortium of Aeronautical Industries and Air Services S.A. [Conviasa] announced this Tuesday that it will reschedule its planned flights to and from Cuba between Feb. 10 and 19, due to a lack of fuel supply and the immigration requirements established by the Nicaraguan government,” the statement said in Spanish.
Cuba ran out of jet fuel on Monday due to the U.S. blockade preventing oil from reaching the island. Airlines from Mexico, Canada, and other countries have also cancelled or modified service to Cuba due to the fuel shortage, according to a report from El Nuevo Herald, the Spanish-language arm of the Miami Herald.
A further statement in a pop-up ad on the Conviasa website stated in Spanish, “[Conviasa] reports that it has not canceled its commercial flight operations between Caracas, Havana, and Managua, remaining committed to its passengers. The schedule has been adjusted to ensure passengers reach their destinations. Venezuela’s flag carrier reiterates its unwavering commitment to the people of the Caribbean, Latin America, and the world, remaining the airline that connects passengers to their destinations.”
According to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, Conviasa last operated flight 5944 from Havana to Managua on Feb. 9, and has a flight with the same number scheduled between the two cities scheduled to depart Havana at 7:45 p.m. local time on Feb. 19. Another flight between the two cities, Conviasa flight 5946, is scheduled to leave Havana for Managua at 5:45 p.m. on Feb. 16.
Photo: Estadio Nacional Soberania in Managua, Nicaragua. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
