According to Iraf, an official from the Iraqi Football Federation announced on Tuesday evening, May 12, that the national team is facing a serious problem regarding U.S. visa issuance ahead of participation in the 2026 World Cup — an issue that could affect the preparation plans of the “Lions of Mesopotamia.”
Ghalib Alzamili, a member of the Iraqi Football Federation, confirmed in an interview with the Iraqi media outlet Shafaq News that five main national team players have still not succeeded in obtaining entry visas to the United States.
The announced names are:
Ibrahim Bayesh, Mohanad Ali, Zaid Tahseen, Haider Abdulkarim, and Ali Al-Hamadi.
Alzamili said that no official explanation has been provided by the American side regarding the reason for the visa denials, and this issue has raised concerns in Baghdad because these players are considered influential elements in Iraq’s main squad.
Official Follow-Up Through FIFA
According to the federation official, Iraq intends to pursue the matter through FIFA in order to prevent damage to the national team’s preparation process ahead of the global tournament.
He emphasized that the issue must be resolved “as quickly as possible.”
Iraq’s Difficult Group in the World Cup
According to Iraqi media reports, the draw for the 2026 World Cup placed Iraq national football team in Group Nine, alongside strong teams including France national football team, Norway national football team, and Senegal national football team.
The competition is scheduled to begin on June 11 and continue until July 19.
Concerns Over the Crisis Affecting the Final Squad
Sports analysts in Iraq believe that the continuation of this situation could affect the final squad composition and the readiness of the national team, especially since some of these players played key roles in Iraq’s qualification campaign.
