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ERBIL, IRAQ - 2022/09/18: Santiago Sanchez walks in the city of Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq during his journey to reach the Qatar 2022 World Cup on foot. Spaniard Santiago Sanchez 42 years old, set off by walking from the Spanish capital Madrid in January, he crossed most of Europe and Turkey (10 countries) with a distance of 5-6 thousand kilometers on foot. After 9 months of walking, he reached Iraq and will then go to Iran and Qatar via the Persian Gulf. He decided to take this adventure to prove to people that nothing is impossible and to support his country that is participating in the World Cup. When he walks he collects plastic waste, and on many occasions he changes it to get a plate of food, he has a tent where he sleeps and there are times when families give him a place in their homes to live with them for a few days to rest. (Photo by Ismael Adnan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Ismael Adnan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Santiago Sanchez Feared Missing by Family amid Journey on Foot to Qatar for World Cup

Joseph ZuckerOct 25, 2022

The family of Spanish trekker Santiago Sanchez say he has gone missing while attempting to hike from Madrid to Doha, Qatar, for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

According to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), Sanchez last contacted his family on Oct. 2 after making his way to Iran. His last post on Instagram, where he has been documenting his journey, was one day earlier.

Sanchez's parents reported him missing on Oct. 17.

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"After a few days, we didn't worry about him not posting; it matched what he had said," his mother, Celia Cogedor, said. "But after eight or nine days, my daughter and his closest friends ... we already began to think that we had to report his disappearance."

Spain's ambassador in Tehran, Iran, is "handling the matter."

Sanchez intended to give an interview with a Tehran-based television station about his experience. He planned to then make his way to Bandar Abbas, which is along Iran's southern coast. From there, the 41-year-old would complete his final leg to Qatar by boat.

The World Cup is scheduled to kick off Nov. 20, with host Qatar playing Ecuador. Spain, which was drawn in Group E, will begin play Nov. 23 against Costa Rica.