{"id":6124,"date":"2026-07-01T16:36:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T16:36:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6124"},"modified":"2026-07-01T16:36:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T16:36:32","slug":"as-the-world-cup-grows-more-global-many-fans-still-struggle-to-get-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6124","title":{"rendered":"As the World Cup grows more global, many fans still struggle to get there"},"content":{"rendered":"

By LEAH WILLINGHAM, FARID ABDULWAHED, SALAR SALIM and MARK BANCHEREAU<\/strong><\/p>\n

MOSUL, Iraq (AP) \u2014 For years, Mustafa al Saadi and three hospital coworkers traveled abroad together, following Iraq\u2019s national soccer team.<\/p>

Read more Florida confirms Stuart Bell as UF\u2019s 14th president<\/a><\/p>\n

When Iraq qualified for its first World Cup since 1986 \u2014 the first in the lifetime of the 32-year-old laboratory technician in Mosul General Hospital\u2019s oncology department \u2014 they planned another trip.<\/p>\n

Only three of the friends boarded the plane. Al Saadi\u2019s visa application was still pending as he walked to Mosul\u2019s al Muthanna neighborhood to watch Iraq\u2019s match against France, while his friends entered the stadium in Philadelphia nearly 6,000 miles (9,650 kilometers) away.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a very sad feeling to see your close friends present with the national team in every country in the world, but I am not,\u201d al Saadi said, red flares lighting the night sky near the remnants of ancient Nineveh\u2019s fortification wall. He tried to reach his friends during the match, but the calls never connected.<\/p>\n

For decades, FIFA has worked to make the World Cup more global. The 2026 tournament reflected that effort more clearly than ever, with the debuts of Cape Verde, Jordan, Uzbekistan and Cura\u00e7ao. Yet qualifying for the tournament did not guarantee supporters, journalists, referees or even some tournament personnel could enter the co-host countries, where immigration policies remained the responsibility of national governments.<\/p>\n

Supporters from about a quarter of qualifying nations faced travel bans, heightened entry restrictions or high U.S. visa refusal rates. The inequalities that shaped who could travel were visible in the stands.<\/p>\n

At their match outside Boston, Haiti and Scotland returned to the World Cup stage for the first time in decades. Tens of thousands of kilted Scottish supporters marched through the streets in processions led by bagpipers. Fans screaming \u201cFlower of Scotland\u201d reportedly reached 125 decibels \u2014 about as loud as a jet taking off nearby. By contrast, the national anthem of Haiti, whose citizens are subject to U.S. travel restrictions under the Trump administration, rose from a much smaller pocket of supporters waving red-and-blue flags.<\/p> \n

For those who couldn\u2019t make the journey, the tournament unfolded instead in hometown fan zones and diaspora communities.<\/p>\n

In Mosul, hundreds gathered beneath giant screens to watch Iraq\u2019s first World Cup match in four decades. In Brockton, Massachusetts \u2014 home to one of the largest Cape Verdean communities outside the islands \u2014 supporters packed restaurants for the match against Spain before spilling into the streets, where fireworks erupted overhead as people leaned out of cars waving flags. At a university in Dakar, Senegalese supporters climbed balconies and window ledges to watch the team\u2019s match against France.<\/p>\n