Iraqi national team striker Aymen Hussein was held for questioning by US immigration authorities for nearly seven hours at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Saturday, just days before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
This incident is part of a growing trend of entry challenges affecting players, officials, journalists, and fans from countries that Washington views with suspicion.
Hussein, captain of the Iraqi national football team and the player who scored the qualifying goal that ended the country’s 40-year absence from the World Cup, was detained for questioning upon arrival, with immigration officials checking his phone before eventually releasing him. The team’s photographer, Talal Salah, fared worse: held for more than ten hours, subjected to similar phone checks, and ultimately denied entry into the United States entirely.
This comes just three days before Iraq’s final warm-up match against Venezuela on June 9, ahead of the World Cup opener on June 11. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security have not yet responded to requests for comment or provided an official explanation.
Iran: a fraught case
If Iraq’s situation drew attention, Iran’s has become the defining diplomatic flashpoint of this World Cup, particularly because it’s the first time in history where the host country is openly at war with one of the competing nations.
Iran qualified in March 2025, but the team was required to travel to Turkey to apply for US visas. All players eventually received visas on June 5, just ten days before their opening match in Los Angeles. However, a significant number of officials were denied entry. According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, these include team manager Mehdi Mohammadnabi, the Iranian Football Federation’s president Mehdi Taj, its secretary general, executive director, media director, a team analyst, and representatives from Iran’s Foreign Ministry and security apparatus.
When visas were finally issued, Iranian officials said they came with a warning “not to sneak terrorists” into the US. Iran subsequently announced it would move its base camp to Mexico, to reduce the time its delegation spent on US soil. The Iranian Football Federation condemned Washington’s approach as “vindictive behavior,” and accused the United States of weaponizing access to undermine a sporting competition.
A wider problem
Iran and Iraq are not isolated cases. The visa difficulties that have defined the lead-up to this World Cup extend across much of the Global South, affecting players, coaches, referees, credentialed journalists, and supporters alike.
Travel bans apply to nationals of four World Cup-qualified nations (Iran, Haiti, Senegal, and Ivory Coast), with visa bond measures also in place for Algeria, Cape Verde, and Tunisia. Players from South Africa and Haiti only received visas a week before the tournament is due to begin. Omar Artan, one of Africa’s top referees personally invited by FIFA to officiate, initially had his entry blocked because Somalia is among 39 countries on the US visa ban list.
Morocco’s squad was also hit when right‑back Zakaria El Ouahdi twice had his US visa application denied, leaving him stranded in Europe, where he plays for a Belgian club, and forcing the North African team to juggle their World Cup roster while officials try to resolve the case.
The problem extends to the press. The International Sports Press Association wrote to FIFA on June 5 stating that many Iranian and African journalists, some already holding official accreditation, had been denied visas. FIFA confirmed receipt of the letter, noting that entry to host countries “are ultimately consular and immigration matters.”
Tournament logistics have compounded the difficulties for fans, the New York Times reports. Ivory Coast play a group game in Toronto between two fixtures in Philadelphia; Senegal’s final group game is in Canada with potential knockout rounds back in the US; Tunisia begin in Mexico before finishing their group stage in Kansas City. For supporters from travel-ban countries who hold tickets, multi-entry visa requirements present obstacles that no amount of enthusiasm for the game can overcome.
The access failures carry a particular irony: in December, FIFA president Gianni Infantino awarded Donald Trump the organization’s “FIFA Peace Prize,” a decision that looks increasingly difficult to defend as World Cup captains are detained, accredited journalists barred, and fans from four competing nations blocked from attending the tournament their teams qualified for.
