'A World Cup for them not us': Fans' anger at US travel bans and visa restrictions
"It's a feeling that no other feeling can compare to." This is only the second time Iraq has qualified for the World Cup - the first was in 1986.But getting a visa is proving difficult.And Adnan is not alone. This means there is nowhere in the country where Adnan and other Iraqi fans can get visas, as they have to attend an in-person interview.So Adnan travelled to neighbouring Jordan to try to get a visa at the US embassy there. This means their citizens are barred from receiving the type of visitor visa that US authorities recommend for fans.Strict immigration policies and a clampdown on undocumented migrants were a key part of Trump's re-election campaign in 2024.
- ▪"It's a feeling that no other feeling can compare to." This is only the second time Iraq has qualified for the World Cup - the first was in 1986.But getting a visa is proving difficult.And Adnan is not alone.
- ▪This means there is nowhere in the country where Adnan and other Iraqi fans can get visas, as they have to attend an in-person interview.So Adnan travelled to neighbouring Jordan to try to get a visa at the US embassy there.
- ▪This means their citizens are barred from receiving the type of visitor visa that US authorities recommend for fans.Strict immigration policies and a clampdown on undocumented migrants were a key part of Trump's re-election campaign in 2024
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'A World Cup for them not us': Fans' anger at US travel bans and visa restrictions39 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNadia HuraimiBBC News ArabicAbdulla AdnanIraqi fan Abdulla Adnan has been unable to get a visa to travel to the US to see his country playWhen Iraq's football team qualified for the World Cup at the end of March, Abdulla Adnan bought tickets for his country's matches against Norway and France, which will be played in the US cities of Boston and Philadelphia this month."To go to a match, a stadium, a crowd, cheering, and see my team - that is worth the world to me," he says.
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