Aymen Hussein scores Iraq's first World Cup goal since 1986 after seven-hour US immigration ordeal

Aymen Hussein wrote his name into Iraqi football history on Tuesday, scoring at the 2026 World Cup in Foxborough just days after enduring seven hours of questioning by US immigration officials at Chicago’s O’Hare airport.

Hussein’s goal cancelled out Erling Haaland’s opener for Norway in Group I, though the Manchester City striker restored his side’s lead to leave Iraq without a point. The goal was nonetheless a landmark moment — Iraq’s first at a World Cup since their only previous appearance in 1986.

According to an Iraqi Olympic Committee official, Hussein’s phone was inspected upon arrival in Chicago two weeks ago before he was eventually permitted to enter the country. The team’s photographer, Talal Salah, was less fortunate. “National team photographer Talal Salah was held for more than 10 hours, underwent similar phone checks, and was ultimately denied entry into the United States,” the official said.

The 30-year-old striker’s journey to this stage has been shaped by personal hardship as much as footballing ambition. His father was murdered when Hussein was just 12, a trauma that nearly ended his career before it began. “I decided to quit playing football to take care of my family, but my mother refused,” Hussein has said. “She asked me to continue playing.”

That decision proved transformative. Hussein went on to become Iraq’s most expensive footballer, spending time at Qatar’s Al Khor before returning home to sign for Al Karma on a reported $1m contract. He was also the man who scored the goal that clinched Iraq’s qualification for this summer’s tournament — their first World Cup berth in 39 years.

“Honestly, I was ready to play for free,” Hussein said of his early career. “You may not imagine what it meant to me to play with players from the Iraqi national team at that time.”

Hussein leads Iraq’s attack alongside Ipswich Town forward Ali Al-Hamadi, Ali Jassim and Youssef Amyn as the nation competes on the sport’s biggest stage for the first time in a generation.