Renowned Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan will miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup after being denied entry into the United States, despite reportedly holding a valid visa.
Artan, named the Confederation of African Football’s Best Male Referee for 2025, had been expected to make history as the first Somali official to referee at a World Cup. Instead, he was stopped at Miami International Airport after travelling from Istanbul, where he has reportedly been based in recent months.
“Somalia is among the countries affected by tighter US travel restrictions introduced under President Donald Trump’s administration”
US Customs and Border Protection said a Somali national travelling to officiate at the tournament had undergone inspection before being found inadmissible due to unspecified “vetting concerns”. No further public explanation has been given.
FIFA has now made clear that it will not intervene directly. The governing body said immigration decisions remain the responsibility of the host country and that it is not involved in visa adjudications. It also said US authorities had indicated that Artan’s status would not be changed at present.
The decision leaves one of Africa’s most highly regarded referees facing exclusion from football’s biggest stage, not because of performance, fitness or disciplinary concerns, but because of an immigration decision made before the tournament has begun.
The case is awkward for FIFA and for the United States, which is co-hosting the expanded 48-team World Cup with Canada and Mexico. Global sporting tournaments depend on the movement of athletes, officials, journalists and supporters. Yet this episode shows how quickly sport’s language of unity can collide with the harder machinery of border control.
Somalia is among the countries affected by tighter US travel restrictions introduced under President Donald Trump’s administration. It remains unclear whether those rules directly influenced Artan’s refusal, but the timing has sharpened questions over how such policies are being applied during one of the world’s largest sporting events.
For many observers, the issue is simple: if elite players and senior officials are welcomed to the World Cup, should award-winning referees not be granted the same practical access?
For Artan, the answer has so far been no. A career milestone celebrated across African football has become a visa controversy before a ball has even been kicked.
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