The White House had to step in personally to kill a rumour that shouldn't have needed killing. Reports circulating on social media Tuesday claimed five Iraq national team players — including Luton Town striker Ali Al-Hamadi — had been denied US visas ahead of this summer's World Cup. By Wednesday, both the State Department and the Iraq Football Association had called it flat-out false.
"Currently, there are no known issues affecting the Iraq National Team players, and they remain on track to compete in the World Cup," the State Department said in a statement to Front Office Sports. The IFA was equally blunt: "The news is false, and the truth is that all the national team players have obtained entry visas to America."
Why the rumour spread so fast
Context matters here. These reports didn't appear in a vacuum — they surfaced right as FIFA and Iran were locked in a standoff over Iran's participation in the tournament, with members of Iran's World Cup delegation literally being denied entry into Canada last week. When that's the backdrop, a rumour about another Middle Eastern nation facing visa trouble is going to travel.
Canada refused entry to Iranian football chief Mehdi Taj due to his alleged links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. FIFA president Gianni Infantino then confirmed at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver that Iran will play all three of their group matches in the United States regardless. "Of course, Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026," Infantino said. "We have to unite. We have to bring people together."
Taj, for his part, said Iran would pull out entirely if FIFA couldn't guarantee "respect for the country's institutions" on US soil. He's set to meet with Infantino within days. That particular situation is far from resolved.
Iraq's actual problem: the group
With the visa noise cleared up, Iraq can refocus on what genuinely should concern them — Group I. France, Senegal, and Norway is not a draw that invites optimism. Iraq opens June 16 against Norway in Foxborough, faces France in Philadelphia on June 22, then closes against Senegal in Toronto on June 26.
Advancing from that group would be a genuine upset. Anyone pricing Iraq to qualify beyond the group stage is working with long odds for a reason.
The IFA also confirmed that Canadian visa applications are in process — a separate administrative step given Toronto hosts their final group game. So far, no issues there either.
