FIFA World Cup 2026: With just 4 days left before the biggest footballing teams, teams are already facing travel restrictions in the United States, with the Department of Homeland Security putting strict restrictions on the entry of several football teams and players.
The Iranian team, post the conflict in the Middle East, have faced immense problems in the USA despite visa approval from the US. The Asian giants had to abandon their intended training camp in Tucson, Arizona, and move their base to Tijuana, Mexico.
South Africa also faced similar chaos, as the Bafana Bafana were left in utter disarray, with more than 20 of their first-team players and officials left waiting at the airport on the pretext of ‘security concerns’. Iraq is the latest team to bear the brunt of America’s tough security protocols.
Iraq’s star striker, Aymen Hussein, was detained for nearly 7 hours at Chicago’s O’Hare airport after arriving with the squad early on Saturday. Hussein was finally allowed into the country, but the team’s photographer was barred from entering the United States.
The official, who works with the Iraqi Olympic Committee and maintains close contact with the national football team, revealed that Hussein’s phone was inspected during the lengthy questioning process.
“National team photographer Talal Salah was held for more than 10 hours, underwent similar phone checks, and was ultimately denied entry into the United States,” the official said.
In the aftermath of the entire development, there was no comment from the Iraqi Football Association (IFA) or from Hussein. Meanwhile, there has been no response from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Homeland Security Department as well on the same. According to the Guardian, the US department did not even answer the questions posed by the Iraqi media.
Fans came out in the early hours of the morning to greet the Iraq squad at the airport, holding flags and asking players to pose for pictures less than a week before the start of the tournament, video on social media showed.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Mesopotamia Lions Return After 40 Years
Iraq are set to return to the FIFA World Cup for the first time since their only previous appearance in 1986, ending a 40-year wait for football’s biggest stage. Their road to qualification was one of the longest and most demanding of any team in the world, with Graham Arnold’s side navigating a gruelling 21-match qualifying campaign before sealing their place with a play-off victory over Bolivia. Iraq first progressed through the Asian qualifiers, then advanced via the AFC play-offs and the intercontinental play-offs to secure their ticket to the finals.
The 30-year-old Aymen Hussein leads a dangerous Iraqi attack that also features Ipswich Town striker Ali Al-Hamadi and exciting young talents Ali Jassim and Youssef Amyn.
Drawn in Group I, Iraq will face France, Senegal and Norway as they look to make an impact on their World Cup return.
The tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, gets underway on Thursday. Iraq’s qualification journey is particularly notable because they played more qualifying matches than almost any other team on the road to the 2026 World Cup, making their return to the finals all the more remarkable.