Baghdad: Iraqi football sources have revealed a series of communications between FIFA and Mexican government authorities regarding special visa facilitation for the Iraqi national team delegation, in preparation for their participation in the World Cup qualifying playoffs.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the proposed arrangements include issuing visas through the Mexican embassy in any country chosen by the Iraqi Football Association, such as the United Arab Emirates or Turkey. Alternatively, visa interviews could be conducted virtually via Zoom if relevant parties are unable to travel to these countries, due to the absence of a Mexican embassy in Baghdad.

This initiative follows an official request submitted to Pedro Esquivel, head of the organizing committee for the playoff matches in Monterrey. The request was forwarded to the office of Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ram³n de la Fuente to consider streamlining the procedures.

Meanwhile, the passports of members of the Iraqi Football Association remain with the US Embassy in Baghdad. These members had previously applied for US visas to accompany the national team during their training camp in Houston. With the recent closure of the embassy, retrieving the passports is currently impossible, hindering the travel of the association officials to Mexico and their participation in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.