Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Mexico drop out of the 2026 Caribbean Series in Venezuela amid military escalation in the region

The Caribbean Confederation of Professional Baseball (CBPC) confirmed that the leagues of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Mexico will not participate in the 2026 Caribbean Series, scheduled for February 1-7 in Venezuela.

According to the official statement, the decision is due to "external situations beyond its control," a phrase that adduces few reasons but comes amid the largest US military deployment in the Caribbean Sea in decades.

In recent months, Washington has steadily strengthened its air and naval deployments as part of a broad and extensive offensive against drug trafficking and transnational criminal structures operating from the region, including Venezuela and its maritime environment.

The Cártel de los Soles and the infamous Tren de Aragua, both linked to the regime of Nicolás Maduro, have been designated by the Trump Administration as terrorist organizations. The US has, in fact, sunk more than 20 vessels linked to narco-terrorist groups in the Pacific and Caribbean, several of them linked to the Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de los Soles.

In addition to sinking narco-boats and designating these organizations as terrorists, the US increased by $50,000,000 the reward for information leading to the capture of Maduro, and Trump authorized the CIA to carry out operations within Venezuelan territory.

Likewise, U.S. security sources confirmed to VOZ last Saturday that the U.S. Armed Forces aircraft entered Venezuelan airspace during an operation on Friday night, an event that could even be tracked on flight monitoring platforms.

After a first incursion, at least two other U.S. air movements were recorded in Venezuelan territory, according to security sources consulted.

Washington maintains that the operations in the region are part of a regional strategy to cut drug trafficking routes andneutralize networks linked to state and non-state actors.

While the CBPC acknowledged that the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP) maintains the organizational conditions necessary to host the tournament, the absence of three of the major Caribbean baseball powers leaves the 2026 Caribbean Series in a situation of unprecedented uncertainty.

Recently, an audio recording was leaked of a JetBlue airline pilot claiming that he came very close to colliding in midair near Venezuela with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker. The Trump Administration has asked US airlines to avoid Venezuelan airspace at all costs due to increased military exercises in the area.

Meanwhile, the Caribbean baseball confederation assured that it continues to evaluate alternatives and will inform in due time any additional decision.