Aymen Hussein was held and questioned for nearly seven hours at Chicago’s O’Hare airport after arriving with the Iraq squad early on Saturday, just days before the tournament begins in the United States.

An Iraqi sporting official said Hussein was eventually allowed into the country, but the team’s photographer was barred from entering the United States, a split outcome that turned a routine arrival into a complication for Iraq’s final days of preparation. Fans had greeted the squad at the airport in the early hours of the morning, expecting a simple welcome, not a long wait under questioning for one of the team’s most important forwards.

The official who described the incident works for the Iraqi Olympic Committee and has close contacts with the team. There was no immediate comment from the Iraqi Football Association or from Hussein, and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The lack of explanation leaves the most basic questions unanswered: why Hussein was held so long, and why the photographer was refused entry while the striker was cleared to proceed.

The timing is what gives the airport episode its weight. Iraq arrived less than a week before the start of the tournament, and any delay involving a central player can compress preparation, travel plans and final team work. With the usa world cup schedule now drawing attention around the tournament buildup, Iraq’s arrival became notable for the wrong reason: a long wait at the border instead of a clean handoff into camp.

For now, the story stops at the airport door. Hussein is in the country, but the reason for the delay — and the reason one member of the traveling party was turned away — remains unexplained, a small but sharp reminder that the final stretch before a major tournament can be shaped as much by border checks as by football.