Mexico City.The process of issuing visas to the players of the Iraq national football team has started before the intercontinental playoff match of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said that visas are being issued for Iraqi players ahead of the qualifier match to be held in Monterrey on March 31.
According to the ministry, the visa process of some players was completed at Mexico Embassy, Saudi Arabia on March 8, while the process of other players and officials is to be completed at Mexico Embassy, Qatar on Tuesday. However, the government has not revealed how many players have been granted visas so far.
In fact, due to the ongoing war in the region, the Iraqi team is facing travel related problems. Due to closure of the airfield, many players of the team have not been able to gather at one place yet, which has affected their preparations.
In the intercontinental playoff, the Iraq national football team will face the winner of the match between the Suriname national football team and the Bolivia national football team. The winner of this match will qualify for the group stage of the World Cup, where they will be placed in a group with the France national football team, Norway national football team and Senegal national football team.
Iraq head coach Graham Arnold has also requested FIFA to postpone the intercontinental qualifiers in view of the current circumstances. He says that due to the closure of Iraq’s airspace, most of the players of the team, who play in the domestic league, have not been able to gather together yet.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said it is in contact with the Iraqi Embassy in Mexico and will provide all possible assistance in preparing the documents of all members of the Iraqi national team.
It is noteworthy that the FIFA World Cup 2026 is being jointly hosted by Mexico, United States and Canada. This tournament will start from 11 June 2026.
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