FIFA Removes Africa's Best Referee from 2026 World Cup After Denied Entry to the US

MIAMI, MONDAY — FIFA has officially removed the accomplished referee from Somalia, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, from the list of match officials for the 2026 World Cup. This decision was made after U.S. immigration authorities denied Artan entry upon his arrival at Miami International Airport from a flight from Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday (6/6/2026).

In an official statement released on Monday (8/6/2026) US time or Tuesday (9/6/2026) WIB, FIFA expressed its regret over the incident involving one of Africa's best referees. Artan is one of seven referees selected to officiate at the 23rd edition of the World Cup from the African Football Confederation (CAF).

Referring to the FIFA agenda, Artan, along with 52 main referees, 88 assistant referees, and 30 video assistant referees (VAR), will undergo final training before serving at the World Cup this Tuesday. Following this training, FIFA will announce the match assignments for these top referees in the world.

"FIFA can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will not be able to attend training and officiate matches at the 2026 World Cup after he was denied entry to the United States," said a FIFA spokesperson in an official statement delivered to AFP.

Furthermore, FIFA emphasized the independence of the host authority in matters of border screening. They do not have the authority to influence decisions related to immigration.

"FIFA is not involved in the host country's immigration process, including visa adjudication, and has been informed by the relevant authorities that Artan's status will not change at this time. In line with previous FIFA events, the host government ultimately holds full decision-making power regarding who is eligible to receive a visa and who is allowed to enter their country," the spokesperson stated thereafter.

This disqualification is a severe blow to the world of football in Somalia. Artan, who officially received his FIFA referee license in 2018, was on the verge of making history as the first Somali to officiate a match in the main stage of the World Cup. In fact, the Somali national team has never appeared in the grandest football event in the world.

It is not surprising that the Somali government condemned the visa regulations of the U.S. government that hinder Artan from making history in the world of football in that African country.

The issue of visas and immigration rejections for team members, technical staff, and officials from various participating teams has affected the image of the United States' readiness as the host.

Ciise Aden Abshir, senior advisor to the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Somalia, revealed that Artan had obtained a US visa before leaving his country. He was able to travel by air from Istanbul, Turkey, to the US.

In fact, the Somali government has given Artan a diplomatic passport for his assignment at the 2026 World Cup. He does not use a general passport.

"Prohibiting him (Artan) from entering the US and preventing him from leading the scheduled (World Cup) match not only harms him personally but also undermines football's commitment to fairness, achievement, and the spirit of fair play," said Abshir.

Abshir is a former captain of the Somali national team. He represented his country in international matches from 2003 to 2011.

Artan has returned to Istanbul. In an official statement, Artan committed to not being consumed by disappointment due to the failure to serve in the 2026 World Cup.

"I would like to thank FIFA and all their support. I promise to continue improving the quality of my officiating as I have focused on the future," said Artan, born in 1992.

"I would like to thank the football family for the kind messages and hope my colleagues achieve success during the World Cup. I hope to join in another tournament," he added.

In the last three years, Artan's career has rapidly ascended in Africa. He is recognized as the best football match referee in Africa after successfully officiating several matches in the 2023 Ivory Coast Africa Cup.

Its quality has increasingly received appreciation after being named the Best Male Referee of the Year by CAF in 2025 due to his leadership and integrity on the green field.

This impressive track record has even led Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to praise Artan as an extraordinary symbol of inspiration for the younger generation of Somali society.

"I appreciate the effort, professionalism and integrity shown by referee Omar (Artan)," said Mohamud.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released an official statement defending its actions at the airport. CBP emphasized that possessing a visa does not automatically guarantee that someone will bypass strict security checks at the country's ports of entry.

"During arrival processing, the visitor underwent additional screening, which is a routine part of CBP's inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine eligibility for entry," CBP said in a statement, as quoted by ESPN.

"After the examination was completed, the visitor, who is a referee for the World Cup, was declared inadmissible due to concerns in the screening process. Therefore, access was denied," continued CBP without detailing the specific security issues involved.

Although CBP used the pretext of "general screening concerns," Artan's failure to enter the U.S. is believed to be due to Somalia's geopolitical status. The East African country is one of the dozens of nations included in the strict travel restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump on national security grounds.

Although the policy includes an exemption clause for World Cup athletes and staff, CBP officers at the arrival airport still have absolute veto power to cancel the entry permit based on law enforcement data available at the time of inspection on a case-by-case basis.

The case of Omar Artan's rejection is unfortunately not the only immigration stain that has overshadowed preparations for the 2026 World Cup kick-off. Visa issues and immigration denials for participating team members, technical staff, and officials from various participating teams have affected the image of the US's readiness as a host.

The Iranian national team delegation, for instance, experienced diplomatic tensions after 15 members of their support staff, including the head of the football federation and the media director, had their visas denied at the last minute by U.S. authorities. This forced the Iranian team to relocate their training base from U.S. territory to Mexico. The Iranian squad only received temporary visas, which prevented them from staying overnight in U.S. territory.

"We do not have an issue with the athletes. We implement this to anticipate the presence of contingent members who may have other interests that could disrupt national security," said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio when responding to questions from the U.S. Senate regarding the visa status for Iran, last week.

The prolonged interrogation case also affected Iraq's star striker, Aymen Hussein, who was detained and interrogated for nearly seven hours at O'Hare Airport, Chicago, before finally being allowed entry. This was in contrast to the experience of the Iraqi national team's photographer, who was unable to enter the United States.

"Why can America host the World Cup if they are so aggressive towards foreigners?" Hussein responded, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Swiss national team midfielder, Breel Embolo, was also initially denied entry visa last week before ultimately succeeding after the Swiss government filed an emergency appeal.

A similar story to Artan was experienced by Moroccan player, Zakaria El Ouahdi, whose visa application was rejected. The wingback from the Belgian club, Genk, was ultimately replaced by Ali Maamar. (AFP/AP)