Iraq have returned to football’s biggest stage after an agonising 40-year-wait, but some supporters won’t be following the squad to Canada after lengthy visa waits have caused them to forgo their trip to the Great White North – and at a cost.
Sports Gazette has heard that several supporters are out thousands of pounds after their visa applications were unanswered for months ahead of the tournament.
When the whistle blew on March 31st, cementing Iraq’s victory against Bolivia and World Cup berth, there was elation across the country.
For superfan Hamzah Al-Darraji, the next step was obvious. He had to follow the squad across the world.
Al-Darraji is a member of the Iraqi national team’s official supporters’ group and has watched them play in Qatar, Kuwait, and France.
Within weeks of their qualification, the Baghdad resident had applied for a Canadian temporary resident visa through the migration services company, VFS Global.
Despite having several locations in the capital city and a Canadian embassy, Al-Darraji was instructed to travel to Erbil, 400 kilometres (249 miles) north of Baghdad, to do his biometric appointment. So, on April 22nd, he made the journey, even providing his already purchased ticket as requested.
Al-Darraji waited, and then waited some more. But as his June 15th flight to the United States approached, he heard nothing back.
His application, which SportsGazette has viewed, has been received, but its review – which includes an eligibility and background check – is “in progress.”
“I started in April, and now it’s the ninth of June. Nothing has changed. It’s still in review,” Al-Darrraji said, speaking earlier this month from his car in Baghdad.
“I don’t know why it should take two months to [be] still in review. And this is not a situation just for me. I’ve asked many friends about their situation. Until now, same thing: in review.”
According to data provided by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), 10 Iraqi citizens received approval for their Temporary Resident Visa Applications to travel to the World Cup between November 14, 2025 and March 31, 2026. All data beyond that date has not been publicly released.
At the time of speaking, Al-Darraji was still hoping to receive that approval. But even if he did, he was pessimistic about his chances of travelling to Canada due to logistical complications with the process.
Al-Darraji has followed the Lions of Mesopotamia across the world for years.
“If they accept my visa now, I should go back to Erbil, about 400 kilometres from Baghdad and give them my passport to take it to Jordan to stamp the visa on the passport.
“After that, they will send it again to Erbil, and I should go to Erbil to receive my passport. This will take 10 to 20 days if they accept it today [June 9]. If they accept today, I cannot send my passport because I need to travel to the US on the 15th of June.”
In an email to SportsGazette, IRCC said it cannot comment on individual cases without consent, but said it is using “dedicated resources and operational measures to support the timely processing of World Cup-related applications.”
It added that “screening is conducted by Canada’s security partners, who operate independently from IRCC,” and therefore timing is out of the government department’s control.
But for those in Iraq, whose team took a record 21 games to qualify, timing is crucial.
Al-Darraji says he spent almost $2000 USD (£1,511) on a ticket to the match and a hotel room in Canada.
He held off on a flight until he got his visa, but it never came.
He’s not the only one. Saif Laiyth Yaseen is an engineer in Baghdad who was hoping to travel with his wife, a dentist, and 7-month-old child to Toronto for the match.
The family bought their tickets on April 22nd, the day Al-Darraji did his biometric, for $1,600 USD (£1,205). They also purchased flight tickets for $4,400 USD (£3,315).
An additional cost, they say, was $600 USD per person for “visa application procedures and translations,” amounting to $1,800 USD (£1,356).
They applied through VFS Global and have heard nothing since.
“Up until now, there has been no response from the Canadian Consulate or Embassy,” Yaseen said in a translated email. “Because of this lack of response, I have now decided to sell the tickets and cancel bookings, losing a lot of expenses.”
“Many people I know are facing the same situation,” he added. “A large number of applicants are still waiting for responses, and this issue is widely shared and discussed among people on social media platforms. It has become a common challenge for many families in similar circumstances.”
The family says it lost $2,400 USD (£1,816) cancelling flights, reduced the match tickets from $1,600 USD (£1,211) to $1,000 USD (£757), and has lost the $1,800 USD (£1,356) application costs.
In an email to SportsGazette, VFS Global said: “VFS Global’s role in the Canadian visa process in Iraq is limited to only providing administrative services related to the visa application process. All applications are submitted online directly to IRCC.”
US visa was ‘easier’
Unlike the process to enter Canada, Al-Darraji described obtaining a visa to enter the US as “easy.”
“For the US Embassy, I collected my visa in five minutes. I go to the US Embassy, [they] just do the interview with me for four or five questions, and they told me ‘this is your visa,’” he said.
Al-Darraji remained optimistic that his Canadian visa would arrive with the same speed, but his hope quickly dwindled.
He sent emails to the Canadian embassies across the country and contacted VFS Global via their call centre, but he was told the matter was out of the company’s hands.
Days before his flight, as a last-ditch effort, he even sent an email to Canada’s minister of immigration, Lena Metlege Diab.
Fans left ‘disappointed’
For Al-Darraji, who has followed the Lions of Mesopotamia across the world, this is the first time he’s been unable to travel for a match.
But it’s not all about the football. This incident has left a bad taste in Al-Darraji’s mouth.
“I’m very angry,” he said. “I am emotionally so bad because this is my team, and our football team.
“Actually, not just the football team, it is like our country. We are happy just when our team plays. And now we’re going to the World Cup after 40 years.
“Unfortunately, this gives me a kind of a bad image of Canada. I feel unwelcome compared to other nationalities.”
Al-Darraji was able to catch Iraq’s opening match in Foxborough, Massachusetts, but Yaseen and his family – who chose Canada under the impression a visa would be easier to obtain – will be watching the team’s historic matches on TV.
Al-Darraji at Iraq’s opening match against Norway
“It is truly heartbreaking,” Yaseen said. “Missing Iraq’s first World Cup appearance in 40 years is not just a missed event, it is the loss of a historic and emotional moment that we had dreamed of for a long time as a family. The situation leaves a deep sense of disappointment and frustration.
“I would respectfully appeal to the Canadian government to consider more flexibility and facilitation in visa procedures, particularly for families wishing to attend major international sporting events. These moments are not just travel opportunities; they are human experiences that bring people closer together and strengthen cultural understanding between nations.”
Al-Darraji echoed that statement.
“If you wanted to host the World Cup and you don’t have the means and capabilities to welcome all people, then you shouldn’t have gone ahead and put in your ballot to host the World Cup,” he said.
Suha Abdullah, an Iraqi-Canadian helping Al-Darraji with translations, added on.
“Canada has a sizably large Iraqi population, especially in the Greater Toronto Area. They are law-abiding citizens, they contribute to society, they are doctors, engineers, you name it,” she said.
“They are a fragment of the Iraqi population back home and they represent the Iraqis there as well. And so he [Al-Darraji] hopes that in the future, Iraqis will be welcomed in Canada in a manner that’s less complicated than what exists right now.”
While thousands will don their kits and wave their flags when the Lions of Mesopotamia kick off against Senegal, many more will be watching from afar, left out of the moment they hoped to be a part of.
The IRCC declined to answer specific questions, but maintained that it was “working to facilitate a successful event while maintaining the safety and security of Canadians.”
