When the whistle blew on March 31st, cementing Iraq\u2019s victory against Bolivia and World Cup berth, there was elation across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For superfan Hamzah Al-Darraji, the next step was obvious. He had to follow the squad across the world.<\/p>\n
Al-Darraji is a member of the Iraqi national team\u2019s official supporters\u2019 group and has watched them play in Qatar, Kuwait, and France.<\/p>\n
Within weeks of their qualification, the Baghdad resident had applied for a Canadian temporary resident visa through the migration services company, VFS Global.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Al-Darraji waited, and then waited some more. But as his June 15th flight to the United States approached, he heard nothing back.<\/p>\n
His application, which SportsGazette has viewed, has been received, but its review \u2013 which includes an eligibility and background check \u2013 is \u201cin progress.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI started in April, and now it\u2019s the ninth of June. Nothing has changed. It\u2019s still in review,\u201d Al-Darrraji said, speaking earlier this month from his car in Baghdad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know why it should take two months to [be] still in review. And this is not a situation just for me. I\u2019ve asked many friends about their situation. Until now, same thing: in review.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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Al-Darraji has followed the Lions of Mesopotamia across the world for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf 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.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cAfter 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an email to SportsGazette, IRCC said it cannot comment on individual cases without consent, but said it is using \u201cdedicated resources and operational measures to support the timely processing of World Cup-related applications.\u201d<\/p>\n
It added that \u201cscreening is conducted by Canada\u2019s security partners, who operate independently from IRCC,\u201d and therefore timing is out of the government department\u2019s control.<\/p>\n
But for those in Iraq, whose team took a record 21 games to qualify, timing is crucial.<\/p>\n
Al-Darraji says he spent almost $2000 USD (\u00a31,511) on a ticket to the match and a hotel room in Canada.<\/p>\n
He held off on a flight until he got his visa, but it never came.<\/p>\n
Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n He\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n The family bought their tickets on April 22nd, the day Al-Darraji did his biometric, for $1,600 USD (\u00a31,205). They also purchased flight tickets for $4,400 USD (\u00a33,315).<\/p>\n An additional cost, they say, was $600 USD per person for \u201cvisa application procedures and translations,\u201d amounting to $1,800 USD (\u00a31,356).<\/p>\n They applied through VFS Global and have heard nothing since.<\/p>\n \u201cUp until now, there has been no response from the Canadian Consulate or Embassy,\u201d Yaseen said in a translated email. \u201cBecause of this lack of response, I have now decided to sell the tickets and cancel bookings, losing a lot of expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMany people I know are facing the same situation,\u201d he added. \u201cA 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The family says it lost $2,400 USD (\u00a31,816) cancelling flights, reduced the match tickets from $1,600 USD (\u00a31,211) to $1,000 USD (\u00a3757), and has lost the $1,800 USD (\u00a31,356) application costs.<\/p>\n In an email to SportsGazette, VFS Global said: \u201cVFS Global\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n US visa was \u2018easier\u2019<\/p>\n Unlike the process to enter Canada, Al-Darraji described obtaining a visa to enter the US as \u201ceasy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor 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 \u2018this is your visa,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Al-Darraji remained optimistic that his Canadian visa would arrive with the same speed, but his hope quickly dwindled.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0He 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\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n Days before his flight, as a last-ditch effort, he even sent an email to Canada\u2019s minister of immigration, Lena Metlege Diab.<\/p>\n Fans left \u2018disappointed\u2019<\/p>\n For Al-Darraji, who has followed the Lions of Mesopotamia across the world, this is the first time he\u2019s been unable to travel for a match.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not all about the football. This incident has left a bad taste in Al-Darraji\u2019s mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very angry,\u201d he said. \u201cI am emotionally so bad because this is my team, and our football team.<\/p>\n \u201cActually, not just the football team, it is like our country. We are happy just when our team plays. And now we\u2019re going to the World Cup after 40 years.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, this gives me a kind of a bad image of Canada. I feel unwelcome compared to other nationalities.\u201d<\/p>\n Al-Darraji was able to catch Iraq\u2019s opening match in Foxborough, Massachusetts, but Yaseen and his family \u2013 who chose Canada under the impression a visa would be easier to obtain \u2013 will be watching the team\u2019s historic matches on TV.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt is truly heartbreaking,\u201d Yaseen said. \u201cMissing Iraq\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Al-Darraji echoed that statement.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you wanted to host the World Cup and you don\u2019t have the means and capabilities to welcome all people, then you shouldn\u2019t have gone ahead and put in your ballot to host the World Cup,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Suha Abdullah, an Iraqi-Canadian helping Al-Darraji with translations, added on.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cCanada 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,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey 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\u2019s less complicated than what exists right now.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The IRCC declined to answer specific questions, but maintained that it was \u201cworking to facilitate a successful event while maintaining the safety and security of Canadians.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a> <\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/594ff4aa-75d1-46be-a29a-fdb30d3ccefb-169x300.jpg\")
Al-Darraji at Iraq\u2019s opening match against Norway<\/p>\n
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