As the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, enters its final days of preparation ahead of Thursday’s opening kickoff, two high-profile border entry denials have reignited long-simmering criticism of U.S. immigration policy, while Mexican authorities move to head off planned protests that could disrupt the tournament’s opening match.
The most notable disruption came with the removal of Somali referee Omar Artan from the tournament’s official match official roster, after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) turned him away at Miami International Airport on Saturday over unspecified “vetting concerns.” Artan was set to make history as the first Somali match official to officiate at a men’s World Cup finals, a milestone cut short by U.S. immigration restrictions first implemented under former President Donald Trump’s administration. Somalia remains on the travel ban list rolled out as part of Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, a policy that is now directly impacting a major global sporting event hosted on U.S. soil.
FIFA confirmed the development in an official statement to AFP, noting that the governing body of global football has no authority to override entry decisions made by host nations. “FIFA can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States,” a FIFA spokesperson said, confirming Artan would play no part in the month-long tournament.
Artan’s exclusion is not an isolated incident. The Iranian men’s national team has also been caught in a diplomatic and visa storm amid ongoing military tensions between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic, with U.S. authorities refusing to issue visas to 15 members of the team’s support staff. The team has currently set up its base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, after its arrival was delayed by a full week due to the visa logjam. Iranian head coach Amir Ghalenoei publicly criticized the handling of the visa process Sunday, saying that basic ethical and human considerations were overlooked in the lead-up to the tournament. “Usually in these tournaments, before technical matters, ethical and human considerations must be respected — which I think for us it was not the case,” Ghalenoei said.
South of the border, Mexican authorities are working to secure the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, scheduled to kick off in Mexico City on Thursday. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has vowed to guarantee the tournament runs “in peace and tranquility” after a teachers’ union announced planned demonstrations to demand higher salary raises, raising fears of disruption to the opening game. On June 1, police dispersed protestors near Mexico City’s historic Zocalo square, where authorities have built a massive public viewing screen for the official World Cup fan zone, using tear gas and rubber bullets. Metal barricades now block off all streets surrounding the square, a measure Sheinbaum says is necessary to guard against unapproved provocations.
Amid the off-field turbulence, the 48 participating teams – expanded from 32 in previous World Cup editions – have begun settling into their base camps across the three host nations for the 39-day tournament, which will conclude with the final on July 19. Five-time tournament winners Brazil, one of the pre-tournament favorites aiming to secure a record-extending sixth title, have been finalizing preparations in New Jersey. Star midfielder Bruno Guimaraes pushed back against what he sees as a lack of respect for the Brazilian side, noting that no other nation can match Brazil’s five World Cup titles. “Nobody else has five stars on their chest. We have great players who play for top teams, like Vini (Vinicius Junior) and Raphinha. We need to give our players the respect they deserve,” Guimaraes told reporters.
The Brazilian camp also provided an update on star forward Neymar, the nation’s all-time leading international goalscorer who was recalled to the national side after a two-year absence. The 34-year-old is continuing to recover well from a calf injury, though he remains a doubt for Brazil’s opening group stage match against Morocco this Saturday.
Over in Europe, 2022 runners-up France – another top contender to lift the trophy this year – wrapped up their final pre-tournament warm-up with a confidence-boosting 3-1 win over Northern Ireland in Lille, with Crystal Palace star Michael Olise netting a hat-trick. The result erased any lingering doubts over the side’s form after an unexpected loss to Ivory Coast in their previous warm-up fixture. Head coach Didier Deschamps will lead the side to their U.S. training base near Boston on Wednesday, ahead of their opening group match against Senegal next Tuesday.