Aymen Hussein

Aymen Hussein is an Iraqi international striker who plays club football in the region. He is a senior member of the Iraq national squad and one of the team's most prominent forwards.

On 31 March 2026, Hussein scored Iraq's second goal on 53 minutes in their World Cup playoff against Bolivia in Monterrey, securing a 2-1 victory and Iraq's qualification for their first World Cup in 40 years . Bolivia had pulled a goal back through Moisés Paniagua in the 38th minute, making Hussein's strike the decisive goal that restored Iraq's two-goal cushion. The match was played while Iraqi airspace remained closed following the Iran-US conflict, requiring players to travel on chartered flights through third countries. Iraq's Group I opponents are France, Senegal and Norway.

On 8 June 2026, Hussein was detained for approximately seven hours at Chicago O'Hare International Airport before being released; an Iraqi team photographer was barred from entry entirely . Iraq did not qualify for the 2026 finals, so the detentions fell outside the tournament field. CBP gave no public reason for holding Hussein. The incident added an active international player to the week's access-denial pattern that had already seen a FIFA-appointed referee turned back at Miami and senior Iranian federation staff denied entry.