Somali referee, Omar Artan, who was set to be the first from the African country to be in charge at the World Cup finals, was denied entry to the United States and subsequently dropped from the list of officials for the competition.
Artan, the 2025 CAF (Confederation of African Football) men's referee of the year, was barred from entering the country at Miami International Airport and is currently in Turkey. No reason for Artan's repatriation has been issued by US immigration authorities, but Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump's administration.
After speaking to the US authorities, world governing body Fifa said Artan will miss the tournament. "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," read a statement.
"Fifa is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan's status will not be changed at present. In line with previous Fifa events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country."
With Artan having said to have travelled with valid documents, a Somali embassy official in Nairobi was reported as saying that Artan's diplomatic passport had been issued specifically to ease his travel after earlier visa difficulties. The Somali Football Federation has since contacted Fifa seeking urgent clarification.
A White House Task Force official working on the World Cup, said: "All I can tell you is that it was the right decision by customs and border patrol and I support that decision." Artan was among the 52 referees announced by Fifa to officiate at the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States, which starts tomorrow.
Artan, who became a Fifa referee in 2018 has officiated at the highest global level – including Afcon (Africa Cup of Nations) finals.
