As the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway on June 11, 2026, US airport border screening is drawing fresh scrutiny after players, officials and support staff faced lengthy questioning or entry denials while traveling for the tournament.
The World Cup opened with Mexico playing South Africa at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, kicking off the first 48-team tournament and the first edition hosted across three countries, with matches in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was questioned for nearly seven hours after arriving at Chicago O’Hare International Airport with the national team, Reuters reported, citing an Iraqi sporting official. US authorities eventually allowed Hussein to enter the country.
The same official said Iraq’s national team photographer, Talal Salah, was held for more than 10 hours, underwent similar phone checks and was ultimately denied entry to the United States. Iraq is returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
The incidents at O’Hare came as Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan also lost his place at the tournament after US authorities denied him entry despite his holding a valid visa, Reuters reported. Artan, 34, had been set to officiate World Cup matches before US authorities refused him entry over alleged links to suspected members of terrorist organizations.
The Guardian reported that Artan was refused entry at Miami International Airport. UEFA has since appointed him to referee the UEFA Super Cup final in Salzburg on August 12, 2026.
The cases have drawn attention to US border processing as the World Cup kicks off across North America. The United States is hosting the majority of the tournament’s matches, making US airports key gateways for fans, teams, officials, media and sponsors traveling to the events.
The airport cases also come weeks after Reuters reported that the Trump administration was drawing up plans to halt immigration and customs processing for international travelers and cargo at airports in so-called sanctuary cities. Reuters reported on May 27, 2026, that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the administration had not made a final decision but had plans under review.
A separate Reuters report said Mullin specifically raised the possibility of stopping international traveler and cargo processing at Newark Liberty International Airport, a major United Airlines hub serving the New York metropolitan area. “If things don’t change, we’re going to have to make this step pretty quick,” Mullin told Fox News.
The administration has not linked the World Cup entry denials to the sanctuary-city airport proposal. But the developments place airport border processing under fresh scrutiny at the start of a tournament that is bringing large numbers of international fans, teams, officials and media into US gateways.