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'A World Cup for them not us': Fans' anger at US travel bans and visa restrictions
Key takeaways
- "To go to a match, a stadium, a crowd, cheering, and see my team - that is worth the world to me," he says.
- But getting a visa is proving difficult.
- Fans from more than a quarter of the countries taking part in the World Cup are facing travel bans, tighter restrictions or high visa rejection rates, analysis of travel data by the BBC World Service shows.
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
Nadia Huraimi BBC News Arabic Abdulla Adnan Iraqi fan Abdulla Adnan has been unable to get a visa to travel to the US to see his country play When Iraq's football team qualified for the World Cup at the end of March, Abdulla Adnan bought tickets for his country's matches against Norway and France, which will be played in the US cities of Boston and Philadelphia this month.
"To go to a match, a stadium, a crowd, cheering, and see my team - that is worth the world to me," he says. "It's a feeling that no other feeling can compare to." This is only the second time Iraq has qualified for the World Cup - the first was in 1986.
But getting a visa is proving difficult.
Article preview — originally published by BBC News. Full story at the source.
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