The 2026 World Cup hasn't kicked off yet, and some teams are already fighting just to get into the country. A string of confirmed detentions, visa denials and airport searches has made the US border the first battleground of this tournament — and not in any sporting sense.
Iraq's leading striker Aymen Hussein was held for several hours at Chicago O'Hare, questioned by border officials and had his phone examined before eventually being let through. His team's photographer, Talal Salah, wasn't so fortunate — detained for over 10 hours and then denied entry entirely. US Customs and Border Protection said Salah "was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns." FIFA-appointed Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was also turned away. That's not procedural friction — that's a pattern.
Iran camped in Mexico, Senegal searched on the tarmac
Iran's situation goes deeper than a single detention. Several support staff members were denied visas, leaving the squad to base itself in Mexico and commute into the US only for matches. Then, days before their June 15 opener against New Zealand, Iran's football federation said their ticket allocation had been withdrawn. Iranian state media called it "contrary to the principles" of fair treatment. Whatever the legal justification, it's the kind of pre-tournament chaos that disrupts preparation and team morale in equal measure.
Footage circulating on social media — some verified, some not — appears to show Senegal's players lined up on an airport tarmac being individually screened. Separate clips purportedly show Uzbekistan's squad, including staff connected to coach Fabio Cannavaro, subjected to bag searches and metal detector wands on arrival. The Uzbekistan Football Association hasn't publicly commented.
- Iraq forward Aymen Hussein detained and questioned at O'Hare; photographer denied entry
- FIFA-selected referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan (Somalia) denied entry ahead of the tournament
- Iran's support staff denied visas; squad based in Mexico, commuting in for games
- Iran's ticket allocation reportedly withdrawn days before their first match
- Footage suggests Senegal and Uzbekistan players searched on arrival, though some clips remain unverified
None of this happens in a vacuum. The US is operating under substantially tightened immigration enforcement, and border agencies retain broad discretion to screen arrivals regardless of visa status. The tournament is also being framed as one of the most security-intensive sporting events ever staged — AI surveillance, biometric screening, robotic monitoring systems. That infrastructure exists for real reasons. But it applies to everyone stepping off a plane, including professional footballers who went through the full FIFA accreditation process.
What this means for the tournament's credibility
From a competitive standpoint, this matters. Iran entering every game having just crossed an international border, without the ability to train or recover in the host country between fixtures, is a genuine sporting disadvantage. Whether that shifts their odds against Group opponents is a reasonable question — but the deeper issue is what it says about the conditions under which this tournament is being held.
South Africa's preparations were also disrupted by visa delays departing Mexico for North America, adding another country to the list. This is no longer a handful of isolated incidents — it's a structural issue that FIFA and host organizers will struggle to explain away as the tournament gets underway.
US Customs and Border Protection says decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. Iraq's football federation has a photographer who never made it in. That's where this story currently sits.
