The World Cup is currently taking place in North America (Photo Credit: Sami Abdullah).
The 2026 World Cup, with most of the matches scheduled for cities in the United States, continues to make the news for controversial reasons.
Award-winning Somalian soccer referee Omar Artan will probably not participate in the soccer tournament after the United States prohibited him from entering the country.
“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,” the soccer organization said in a statement.
AFP reported, “The Somalian government expressed ‘deep regret’ on Tuesday after award-winning referee Omar Artan was barred from entering the United States and dropped from officiating at the World Cup.
“Artan, who in 2025 was named men’s referee of the year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), would have been the first Somali to referee at a World Cup.
“His appointment to the World Cup had been a huge source of pride for his compatriots, the country’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declaring in April that he was ‘a symbol of inspiration for a new generation of Somalis.’
“But world football’s governing body FIFA said on Monday that Artan, who was refused entry to the U.S. after arriving at Miami International Airport on Saturday, would play no part in the tournament.”
Somali’s Ministry said that they expressed anguish in the way the United States treated Artan.
In a statement, the ministry said that they engaged diplomatically with American authorities and FIFA.
But it was “not possible to achieve a positive outcome.”
However, Somalia expressed “its unwavering support” for the award-winning soccer (football) referee.
Additionally, the African country said it “has full confidence in his integrity, professionalism, and continued contribution to the advancement of football both in Somalia and internationally.”
In a statement, the country said, “Artan represents the very best of Somali talent.”
A spokesperson for United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said that the Somalian referee was denied entry into the country after a routine inspection.
The CBP spokesperson said, “During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility.
“Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry.”
In a statement, Artan said, “Despite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood, and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career.
“I want to thank the football family for their messages and wish my colleagues all the best success during the World Cup and I look forward to joining them again in future competitions.”
A government advisor in Mogadishu said that the barred soccer referee had a valid visa for the United States.
Somalia is on President Donald Trump’s travel ban list in his effort to crack down on immigration from certain countries that have a citizenship that mainly consists of Black and Brown people.
Ciise Aden Abshir, senior advisor to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, said, “Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community.
“Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football’s commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play.”
Abshir, who is also a former Somali national team captain, said that Artan flew back to Turkey after being denied entry into the country at the Miami airport.
Artan has been refereeing the Somali national football league championships since becoming a FIFA official in 2018.
Most recently, Artan refereed the most recent Africa Cup of Nations.
He would have been one of 52 referees officiating World Cup matches in the United States of America, Mexico and Canada.
However, at the 11th hour, Canada might have provided a reprieve for Artan, allowing the award-winning soccer referee into their country, even though U.S. officials say he has ties to terrorist organizations.
Alice Gibbs of Newsweek reported, “Canadian officials have said a World Cup referee denied entry to the United States would be welcome to officiate matches north of the border—but under FIFA’s tournament structure, that offer is unlikely to change things.
“Following backlash over Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan being refused entry to the U.S., political leaders in British Columbia and Toronto signaled he could still work matches in Canada. But the way the 2026 World Cup is organized means referees cannot simply operate independently in one host country.”
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said, “Denying entry to Omar Artan, who has earned his place on the world stage through hard work and perseverance, is not right. Toronto believes in fairness, inclusion, and giving talent the opportunity to shine. He would be welcome to referee here in our city. I will be writing to FIFA to let them know he is welcome to referee here.”
