US authorities briefly denied immediate entry to Iraqi national team captain Aymen Hussein, detaining him at Chicago O’Hare International Airport for seven full hours without an officially announced reason.
The “Lions of Mesopotamia” delegation arrived in the United States on Saturday to prepare for their World Cup 2026 campaign. It appears the Iraqi team has faced similar strict visa and entry hurdles that several other nations have encountered upon arriving on American soil.
According to Iraqi media reports, the delegation arrived in the US after a grueling 12-hour flight. Upon arrival, Hussein was surprisingly barred from leaving the airport, with immigration authorities merely stating he would be subjected to an “additional security screening.”
Iraqi Striker Released After Seven-Hour Interrogation by US Immigration
Immigration officials confiscated the 30-year-old forward’s phone and interrogated him over the course of seven hours. After a lengthy delay, he was finally cleared for entry and allowed to rejoin his national team teammates ahead of the tournament.
Aymen Hussein is widely regarded as one of Iraq’s most prominent strikers of the past decade. The national team heavily credits him for securing their World Cup spot after he netted the dramatic winning goal against Bolivia in the FIFA Intercontinental Play-off final. Hussein boasts an impressive international record, scoring 32 goals in 90 caps for Iraq.
Iraq recently secured a morale-boosting 1-1 friendly draw against Spain. They are set to kick off their second-ever World Cup appearance on Wednesday, June 17th, in a tough opening match against Norway, followed by group-stage fixtures against France and Senegal.
