World Cup
Iraq’s World Cup Playoff in Doubt as War Disrupts Travel and Visa Processing
The intercontinental playoffs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have been thrown into uncertainty as Iraq faces mounting logistical and diplomatic challenges that could prevent its national team from travelling to Mexico for a decisive qualifier later this month.
Officials of the Iraq Football Association (IFA) are currently in urgent discussions with FIFA after receiving confirmation that Iraqi airspace will remain closed for “at least four weeks” following the escalation of hostilities involving the United States and Iran.
According to information obtained by the UK newspaper The Guardian, the IFA received a formal notice from Iraqi Airways and the country’s Ministry of Transportation indicating that the prolonged closure of the airspace could leave nearly 40 per cent of the Iraqi squad unable to travel for the playoff.
The crisis has already disrupted preparations for the match scheduled for March 31 in Monterrey, Mexico, where Iraq is expected to face the winner of the playoff between Bolivia and Suriname in one of the decisive fixtures of the six-team intercontinental qualifying tournament.
Travel Chaos for Players and Coach
The travel restrictions have scattered the Iraqi national team across several countries, making coordinated preparation almost impossible.
Head coach Graham Arnold is currently stranded in Dubai and unable to return to Iraq due to the suspension of flights.
With air travel suspended, the only possible alternative route for players based in Iraq would involve a 25-hour road journey from Baghdad to Turkey through northern Iraq. However, security concerns along the route have raised serious doubts about whether such an option could be considered viable.
Team officials say the uncertainty has made it extremely difficult to plan training and logistics.
“We’re scattered around the world at the moment and just trying to prepare as best we can,” a source close to the Iraqi team said. “We have to plan as if the game is going ahead, but that doesn’t seem likely at the moment.”
Visa Problems Complicate Preparations
Even if travel restrictions are lifted, Iraq still faces another major hurdle — obtaining visas for Mexico and the United States.
The Iraqi team had originally planned to hold a pre-playoff training camp in Houston, Texas, but that plan has already been abandoned because several players and staff have not been able to secure U.S. visas.
The situation has worsened following the outbreak of conflict in the region, which has forced the temporary closure of several embassies in the Middle East. With Mexico lacking an embassy in Baghdad, Iraqi officials had hoped to process visas through diplomatic missions in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, but those alternatives are currently unavailable.
Officials now fear that visa applications may not be processed in time even if Iraqi airspace reopens before the match date.
FIFA Wants Playoff to Proceed
Despite the complications, FIFA has reportedly informed the Iraqi federation that the playoff tournament will continue as scheduled.
However, the scale of the travel disruption has forced the governing body to monitor developments closely.
Iraq has already secured a place in the final round of the six-team intercontinental playoff, where two additional teams will earn places at the 2026 World Cup.
The Asian side is scheduled to face the winner of the match between Bolivia and Suriname at Monterrey’s World Cup venue.
Potential Replacement Scenario
The uncertainty surrounding Iraq’s participation comes at a time when the country has also been mentioned as a possible replacement should neighbouring Iran withdraw from the tournament amid escalating geopolitical tensions.
Iran qualified automatically through the Asian Football Confederation pathway but faces growing diplomatic and logistical complications related to the ongoing conflict and travel restrictions.
If Iran were forced to withdraw, Iraq — currently one of the highest-ranked teams outside the automatic qualifiers in the region — could emerge as a leading candidate to take its place.
Federation in Ongoing Talks
In a brief statement, the Iraq Football Association said it remains in “constant communication with FIFA regarding the arrangements for our national team’s participation.”
But with the playoff date fast approaching and major logistical barriers still unresolved, officials acknowledge that a decision on Iraq’s participation may soon become unavoidable.
For now, the fate of one of the final pathways to the 2026 World Cup remains uncertain — another reminder of how global political tensions can ripple unexpectedly into the world of football.
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The U.S. government has yet to deliver the allocated $625 million to local authorities for security at the upcoming FIFA World Cup, a situation that a New Jersey congresswoman says comes down to partisan politics.
The Department of Homeland Security planned to distribute the money by Jan. 30, but it has yet to do so, prompting concern about the municipalities hosting World Cup games that they won’t be able to properly prepare for the event.
Rep. Nellie Pou (D., N.J.), who serves on the House Homeland Security Committee, told Front Office Sports regarding DHS’s delay in making the payouts, “I don’t have any doubt that they are using that for political reasons.”
She added that the Trump administration’s motives are “100%” political.
Pou represents a district that includes MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., where eight matches are scheduled to be contested, including the final on July 19. FIFA, which doesn’t use sponsor names for stadiums, is referring to the venue as “New York New Jersey Stadium.”
Pou added of the head of the DHS, “Secretary (Kristi) Noem is saying she isn’t releasing them because of a funding impasse. That is absolutely not true.”
Noem wrote in a statement last week, “FEMA was in the final stages of reviewing applications to ensure proper oversight when Democrats shut down the government, putting significant portions of the FEMA staff on administrative leave. No funds have been awarded yet under the FIFA World Cup Grant Program. The longer DHS goes without funding, the less prepared our nation will be for threats at the FIFA World Cup and America 250. This Democrat shutdown directly impacts DHS’s ability to keep Americans safe at these events and our national security.
“Democrats must end this shutdown now and let DHS get back to our mission of protecting the Homeland.”
Other areas have weighed in seeking the release of the money, too.
The House Homeland Security Committee held a hearing last week at which Miami host committee COO Raymond Martinez said of his group’s expected $70 million grant, “Within the next 30 days is the drop-dead date. I know that the local agencies are very anxious. But without receiving this money, it could be catastrophic for our planning and coordination.”
Kansas City (Mo.) deputy police chief Joseph Mabin added at the hearing, “The … funding would be critical for our staffing and our mutual aid partners to come in and assist. We just don’t have enough officers within my own department to cover all the threats.”
-Reuters
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- * Iran team set to play in Los Angeles, Seattle
- * Iran’s soccer federation said war does not augur well for the tournament
- * US and Iran teams could meet in later stages
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he did not care whether Iran participated in this summer’s soccer World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
“I really don’t care. I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They’re running on fumes,” Trump told Politico.
Iran was the only nation missing from a FIFA planning summit for World Cup participants held this week in Atlanta, deepening questions over whether the country’s soccer team will compete on U.S. soil this summer amid an escalating regional war.
Soccer’s world governing body FIFA, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Mehdi Taj, president of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said the viciousness of the attacks by U.S. and Israeli forces did not augur well for the World Cup, to be held from June 11 to July 19.
Iran secured a trip to a fourth successive World Cup by topping Group A in the third round of Asian qualifying last year.
The Iranians were grouped with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand in Group G. Their matches are scheduled to take place in the U.S., two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.
If both the U.S. and Iran finish second in their respective groups, the two countries could meet in a July 3 elimination match in Dallas.
Iran is one of two competing nations subject to Trump’s most restrictive travel ban, enacted by executive order last June, according to Politico. While the ban carves out World Cup teams and support personnel, decisions on visa exceptions for others — including government figures or executives from team-sponsoring companies — are left to the State Department on a case-by-case basis.
Andrew Giuliani, director of the White House FIFA World Cup Task Force, said in a January interview in Colorado Springs that security concerns would shape the administration’s approach to travel ban exceptions.
In a statement to Politico on Tuesday, Giuliani added: “President Trump’s decisive action to eliminate the Ayatollah, the most notorious state sponsor of terrorism in my lifetime, removes a major destabilizing threat and will help protect people around the world, including Americans and the millions planning to attend the 2026 World Cup in the United States.”
In the modern era, no team which has qualified has not taken part in the World Cup finals. Iran would almost certainly be replaced if it withdraws from the tournament.
-Reuters
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Tickets for this month’s World Cup Playoff tournament in Mexico went on sale on Tuesday at bargain prices compared to the finals, with fans able to secure a seat for as little as 200 Mexican pesos ($11.33), FIFA announced.
The tournament will determine two of the final six nations to qualify for the first 48-team World Cup, set to take place in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bolivia, New Caledonia, Jamaica and Suriname will play at two stadiums that are also venues for the World Cup finals.
Guadalajara and Monterrey will stage the inter-confederation playoff tournament from March 26-31, with FIFA saying ticket prices are in the range of 200 to 300 Mexican pesos.
The prices are in stark contrast to the finals, where the eye-watering costs have fans crying foul. The cheapest ticket for the finals is $60, but dynamic pricing and the resale market have left many fans priced out.
GUADALAJARA ‘CALM’ FOLLOWING UNREST
The violence that erupted near the host city of Guadalajara after the death of Mexico’s most-wanted cartel leader caused concern, but Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said there was to fans coming to the country.
As the countdown to the 2026 World Cup reached 100 days to go, officials in Jalisco said the host state was prepared and secure, following unrest that briefly disrupted sporting events in the Guadalajara area.
Head of the Guadalajara Organising Committee, Juan Jose Frangie, said state authorities had stepped up security and remained confident in preparations following violence that erupted after the death of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho”.
Frangie is also the mayor of Zapopan, home to Estadio Akron – one of Mexico’s venues for the World Cup.
The unrest briefly disrupted sporting events and drew attention to safety in one of the host city regions, but local officials say they are working closely with federal partners ahead of the World Cup.
“We never thought that in 72 hours the metropolitan area would enter a state of calm,” Frangie told Mexican newspaper Milenio.
“There is still a long way to go, and there are lingering fears, but by continuing with our activities, we have allowed people to become increasingly confident.
“We are telling people who are coming to the World Cup that it is a safe state, without problems… The National Guard and Ministry of Defence have sent 2,500 more personnel.”
-Reuters
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Iraq’s World Cup Playoff in Doubt as War Disrupts Travel and Visa Processing
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