Somalia referee turned away from 2026 World Cup over US visa

Somalia’s top referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the US for the 2026 World Cup after an 11-hour immigration interview.

Fears over US visa policies Concerns had existed long before the 2026 World Cup about whether fans could successfully enter the United States for the tournament. The event is meant to unite football’s finest—players, coaches, and officials—from around the world. Omar Artan, Africa’s top referee from Somalia, arrived in Miami intending to join 51 other referees for final preparations. After an 11-hour interrogation by immigration officials, he was placed on a return flight to Mogadishu. Piara Powar, head of the Fare discrimination campaign group, stated that 'it is pretty clear that the fears of an ideological and discriminatory visa policy from the US government is being realised.' ## Artan’s World Cup journey Omar Artan earned his World Cup dream through years of top-level officiating. In 2025 alone, he refereed the African Champions League final and the U-20 World Cup third-place play-off in Chile, along with group matches at the Africa Cup of Nations. By March 2026, he was selected to represent Somalia at the World Cup, a career highlight. 'Every referee's ambition is to go to the World Cup,' Artan told a news outlet last week. 'When you are selected, you feel that all your hard work was worth it. Years of effort finally made sense.' Instead of officiating in the tournament, he is now returning to Mogadishu after facing an 11-hour immigration interview and subsequent detention. ## US immigration officials justify decision Andrew Giuliani, leading the White House Task Force on the World Cup, defended the decision regarding Artan’s entry. 'While I can't go into the derog [derogatory information] on that I can tell you it was the right decision by customs and border patrol and I support that decision.' His remarks suggested no special treatment would be given to anyone, including referees, players, or fans. Former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright also reacted on social media, writing on Instagram, 'Every few hours it’s another story, another story about fans denied, players denied, officials denied, journalists denied, now refs.' ## Trump’s history with Somali nationals FIFA president Gianni Infantino has cultivated a close relationship with US President Donald Trump over the past two years. Trump was controversially awarded the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize during the World Cup draw in December 2025. Decades earlier, in 2017, Trump issued an executive order banning travel from seven majority-Muslim countries, including Somalia. At the time, Infantino warned that such a policy could threaten a country’s right to host World Cup events. More recently, in June 2025, Trump imposed a full entry ban on 12 countries, including Somalia and three World Cup finalists: DR Congo, Iran, and Haiti. ## Infantino’s earlier warning ignored Infantino once stated that if a team qualified for the World Cup, its supporters and officials must be allowed entry. He said in 2017, 'It's obvious when it comes to Fifa competitions, any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup, need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup.' FIFA later stripped Indonesia of hosting rights for the 2023 U-20 World Cup after local authorities barred Israel from staying in Bali. Yet, with the US as host, Infantino’s earlier stance appears ineffective. Days before the World Cup draw in December 2025, Trump labeled Somalia as a 'barely a country' and referred to Somali immigrants as 'garbage.' ## FIFA distances itself from visa process FIFA issued a statement saying it 'is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications.' This raised questions about how a FIFA-appointed referee could arrive in the US and be denied entry. The incident highlighted broader concerns about who controls the tournament—FIFA or the US government. Fare’s Powar added, 'Never have we seen so many World Cup coaches, team operations, fans and even senior administrators within FIFA member associations, subject to so much interrogation and exclusion.' ## Growing immigration barriers for fans Previously, World Cup hosts often accommodated FIFA by ensuring easy access for officials and supporters. Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022 implemented streamlined entry systems, such as Fan IDs and Hayya cards, to facilitate travel. The US approach has been far more restrictive, with claims that barriers have discouraged many from attending. Thomas Concannon, who leads England fans’ group FSA, stated in April, 'You're supposed to be welcoming fans from around the world. And I think at this stage, fans couldn't feel less welcome.' The US government’s immigration crackdown has not spared even World Cup-related personnel. ## Teams face mounting entry challenges Multiple teams have encountered difficulties securing entry to the US. Iraq, not on the banned list, has seen supporters give up on traveling. Iran reported that US authorities revoked its group-stage ticket allocation. The next test will come when Iran’s team arrives on Sunday for its first match. Iran claims the US denied visas to 15 key backroom staff members. Teams are allowed to enter and exit via Tijuana in Mexico within 24 hours per match, but this process remains untested. If a team cannot attend its own game, the tournament could face another unprecedented disruption. ## Who really controls the World Cup? With FIFA unable to get all its referees into the country, concerns grow about who holds authority over the event. Fare’s Powar questioned, 'The disruption is such that one has to ask who is running the World Cup. Is it Fifa or is it the US government with its racially charged immigration policies?' The situation suggests the US government’s immigration policies are dictating the terms, overshadowing FIFA’s role. Despite the glitz and glamour of the World Cup, the Trump administration’s immigration stance remains the dominant factor.