Somali referee Omar Artan, one of the referees chosen to officiate at this summer’s World Cup finals, has been denied entry to the USA.
Artan was set to become the first referee from his country to officiate a World Cup match, and had been named the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) referee of the year in 2025.
However, he was stopped by US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) when he arrived at Miami International Airport from Istanbul on Saturday.
According to CBP, Artan was deemed inadmissible due to “vetting concerns”, though no further details were provided.
A FIFA spokesperson confirmed Artan would miss out on the tournament, which starts across the US, Mexico and Canada on 11 June.
The spokesperson said: “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.
“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.”
Artan insisted he remained “in a positive mood” and was “focused on the next challenges in my career,” per Sky News.
He continued: “I would like to thank FIFA and CAF for all their support, and I promise to keep my refereeing levels up as I concentrate on the future.
“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.”
Artan was among the 52 referees announced by Fifa to officiate at the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States, which runs from 11 June to 19 July.
Somalia is among the countries included on Donald Trump’s travel ban list, announced last year as part of the government’s broader immigration crackdown.
However, the Department of State went even further in January and suspended immigrant visas from 75 countries, including Somalia, Haiti and Iran.
According to Sky Sports News, Artan believed he had a valid visa to work in the US.
The Somali community has also faced widespread criticism from Mr Trump, who has previously described them as “garbage”.