The White House had to personally issue a denial this week. That alone tells you how far the rumours had spread — but the verdict is clear: Iraq's World Cup squad is fine, visas sorted, tournament on track.
Reports circulating on social media Tuesday claimed five Iraqi players, including Luton Town striker Ali Al-Hamadi, had been denied entry to the United States ahead of this summer's competition. By Wednesday, both the State Department and the Iraq Football Association had called that out as nonsense.
"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 Iraq FA was equally blunt — "The news is false" — confirming all players had secured US visas and were in the process of obtaining Canadian ones too.
Iraq's group picture
The timing matters because Iraq's path in this tournament is already a difficult one. They've been drawn into Group I alongside France, Senegal, and Norway — three teams that would make most national sides nervous. France are perennial contenders. Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations. Norway have Haaland.
Iraq play Norway in Foxborough on June 16, face France in Philadelphia on June 22, then wrap up against Senegal in Toronto on June 26. Getting out of that group would be a genuine upset — which is exactly why any visa disruption would have been so damaging. Preparation time is short, and distractions this close to a tournament can do real damage to squad cohesion and morale.
Anyone betting on Iraq to advance from Group I was already dealing with long odds. A visa saga on top of that? The needle would have moved further. As it stands, the situation is resolved, and Iraq can focus on football.
The Iran situation is a different story entirely
The Iraq rumours didn't emerge in a vacuum. They surfaced in the middle of a genuinely complicated dispute between FIFA and Iran — and the two stories got tangled together in the online noise.
Iran's participation has been under real pressure, with protests over the team's links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and calls for a ban. FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver that Iran will play, stating plainly: "Of course, Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026."
But the situation remains uneasy. Iranian football chief Mehdi Taj was denied entry into Canada during the Congress — Canada co-hosting the tournament and citing his IRGC links as the reason. Taj has since said he needs FIFA to guarantee "respect for the country's institutions" in the US, where Iran will be based and play all three group matches. "If they can address them, we will definitely participate," he told state broadcaster IRIB.
That's not a settled situation. The Iraq noise has died down. The Iran question very much hasn't.
