FIFA World Cup 2026: Why was Somali referee Omar Artan denied entry to United States despite possessing valid visa?

Omar Abdulkadir Artan, a Somali referee, was on Monday denied entry to the United States for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament.

Had he taken part in officiating duties during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Artan would have become the first-ever Somali referee to have done so.

“During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility,” a spokesperson of US Customs and Border Protection was quoted as saying by CNN.

“Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry," he added.

Somalia is one of the 39 countries on whom United States president Donald Trump has imposed travel bans on. According to CNN, Artan said that he was in a positive mood and added that he was looking ahead to his next challenges as a referee.

“Despite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career. 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," he explained.

Artan had been announced as Africa's top male referee 2025. He had also been elected to participate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

A FIFA spokesperson spoke on the controversy, stating that the sport's global governing body does not have a say in the immigration process. “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 spokesperson told CNN.

“In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country," the spokesperson added.

This is not the first instance of a country or its officials and players facing travel-related problems. Players of the Iranian football team had received visas but the country's football federation had said that 14 officials were denied visas and accused the United States government of "vindictive behaviour".

While these officials are yet to receive the visas, the players have received them. FIFA World Cup 2026 gets underway on Thursday (11 June) with a match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City. Apart from Mexico, the United States and Canada will also host the FIFA World Cup, which will consist of 48 teams for the first time. This makes the tournament the biggest ever in terms of teams participating.