A high-profile pre-tournament controversy has disrupted Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, as experienced midfielder Thomas Partey has been barred from entering Canada, forcing him to miss the Black Stars’ opening group stage match against Panama. The 33-year-old Villarreal player, who previously earned 50+ caps for Ghana and featured at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, was denied entry ahead of Wednesday’s Toronto fixture due to ongoing criminal proceedings in the United Kingdom that he failed to disclose on his immigration application.
Partey currently faces seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, linked to allegations from four separate women dating between 201 and 2022. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his trial is scheduled to begin next year in the UK. When Partey applied for entry to Canada for the World Cup, he falsely declared that he had never been arrested or charged with a criminal offense, a misrepresentation that triggered the initial entry refusal.
The Ghanaian government launched an emergency appeal to the federal court in Ottawa, asking for a special exemption to allow Partey to enter the country temporarily just to compete in the opening match. However, the court rejected the appeal, ruling that there were “no serious issues” with the underlying entry refusal, and explicitly noted that Partey had failed to disclose his status as a defendant in multiple sexual violence charges.
In a statement to BBC Sport, department Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada reaffirmed its consistent policy that even hosting a global event like the World Cup does not override the country’s immigration regulations. “Every person seeking to come to Canada is assessed individually, based on the facts available and the law that applies,” the department said.
Partey’s exclusion comes even after Ghana’s head coach Carlos Queiroz publicly defended his decision to include the player in the World Cup squad ahead of the tournament. When asked about the situation on Tuesday, ahead of the ruling, Queiroz told reporters: “My business is to play with the cards that I have in front of me. We are waiting for a decision. When the decision arrives, we are ready.”
Beyond the opening match against Panama, Ghana is scheduled to face England in Boston on June 23 and Croatia in Philadelphia on June 26 as part of their Group L fixtures. If the Black Stars finish as runners-up in the group, they could return to Canada for a knockout stage match in the round of 32, a path that remains open even without Partey’s participation in the opening fixture.