A historic milestone for Somali football has been abruptly cut short, after global football governing body FIFA confirmed that top Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan will not take part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, following an entry denial from U.S. immigration authorities.
Artan, who was named the Confederation of African Football’s Men’s Referee of the Year for 2025, was blocked from entering the U.S. upon arrival at Miami International Airport. He has since traveled to Turkey, where he remains currently. U.S. immigration officials have not released any public explanation for their decision to bar his entry.
In an official statement shared this week, FIFA confirmed that after consultations with U.S. authorities, the referee would no longer be able to train or officiate at the upcoming June-July tournament. The governing body emphasized that it holds no authority over immigration processes in host nations, noting that as is standard for all FIFA events, host governments retain full control over visa approvals and entry decisions. FIFA added that U.S. officials have informed the organization Artan’s denied entry status will not be reversed in the near term.
Selected as one of just 52 referees for the 2026 World Cup, Artan has a well-established international officiating resume. He has held FIFA referee credentials since 2018, and has overseen matches at the Africa Cup of Nations as well as top-tier domestic competitions in his home country. Somalia is among the Muslim-majority nations that have been subject to strict travel restrictions imposed by the current Trump administration, a policy that dates back to Trump’s first term in office.
According to reporting from the BBC, a senior advisor for Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports confirmed the entry denial, and stressed that Artan was traveling with all required, valid travel documentation. A Somali embassy official based in Nairobi added that Artan had been issued a diplomatic passport specifically to smooth his travel after he faced prior visa-related complications. The Somali Football Federation has since reached out to FIFA to request urgent clarification on the situation, the BBC reported.
Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House Task Force for the 2026 World Cup, defended the decision in comments to BBC World Service, saying “While I can’t go into the derog [derogatory information] on that I can tell you it was the right decision by customs and border patrol and I support that decision.” The entry denial comes months after Giuliani stated the Trump administration could not guarantee non-U.S. citizens would be safe from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids at World Cup match venues.
Artan’s exclusion is the latest in a string of visa denials affecting football officials from regions with tense political relationships with the U.S. and its allies in recent months. In April, The Guardian reported that Palestine Football Association (PFA) president Jibril Rajoub and two other PFA officials were denied entry to Canada for the annual FIFA Congress held in Vancouver. Rajoub had been scheduled to address the congress over FIFA’s handling of Israeli football matches held in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a territory the United Nations recognizes as illegally occupied.
Following an investigation launched after a 2024 complaint, FIFA issued a ruling that the final legal status of the West Bank remains a complex, unresolved matter under international law, and declined to take any disciplinary action against Israel. In February, multiple pro-Palestinian and human rights groups filed a 120-page complaint with the International Criminal Court against FIFA president Gianni Infantino and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, accusing the pair of aiding war crimes through their refusal to suspend Israel from international football competition.