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A FIFA-selected referee from Somalia was denied entry into the United States just days before the World Cup starts, raising further questions about how US President Donald Trump’s travel restrictions will shape the upcoming tournament.
Omar Abdulkadir Artan — who was named Africa’s best male referee last year — was stopped by immigration authorities at Miami International Airport and returned to Istanbul over the weekend.
US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that Artan “was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry.”
However, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports told AFP that Artan had a valid US visa. Somalia is among the countries subject to strict travel restrictions under the Trump administration; Trump himself has also denigrated Somalia in public comments.
FIFA confirmed Monday that Artan “will be unable to train and officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026,” adding that it “is not involved in host country immigration processes” and had been told by US authorities that his “status will not be changed at present.”
A State Department spokesperson said it is working to support visa processing for the World Cup but the administration “will not waver in upholding US law” and “adjudicates each visa application on a case-by-case basis after rigorous review.”
The developments are triggering some scrutiny on Capitol Hill, where at least one Democrat is demanding Artan’s denial be reversed.
“All legitimate World Cup participants — players, team staff, referees — should be allowed into the US for the World Cup,” Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., who co-chairs the Congressional Soccer Caucus, told Semafor.
“[FIFA president] Gianni Infantino has spent years building his political capital with the President and now is the time to spend it,” Larsen said. “FIFA, the White House Task Force on the World Cup, and immigration agencies need to talk to each other and fix these problems.”
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Amid the war with the US and Israel, Iran has also faced visa restrictions around the tournament. Iran’s national team plans to base its squad in Tijuana, Mexico, saying that players and staff were only granted heavily restricted permits allowing them to enter the US on matchdays. Several Iranian officials and support staff were also denied any entrance visas and the nation’s football federation says its fan ticket allocation has been revoked.
Swiss player Breel Embolo and several members of the South Africa team have also experienced delays in their visa processing while Ghanaian and Moroccan fans have reported mass visa rejections without explanation, despite some having already purchased game tickets and booked hotels.
Africa will send a record 10 teams to this year’s expanded 48-team tournament, but travel uncertainty hangs over the continent’s participation more broadly.
As of January 2026, 30 African countries face US entry restrictions of some kind. Citizens of two African World Cup qualifiers — Ivory Coast and Senegal — face partial entry restrictions, meaning fans without existing visas cannot attend games played on US soil. For African residents already in the US, fear of immigration enforcement has added an extra layer of anxiety around attending matches in person.
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Artan was poised to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate the World Cup, the Associated Press noted.