Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan denied entry to USA for FIFA World Cup

4 min readUpdated: Jun 9, 2026 08:36 PM IST

File image of referee Omar Artan, center, signalling a penalty during the CAF Champions League final soccer match between AS FAR Rabat and Mamelodi Sundowns, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo)

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan has spoken of his heartbreak after being denied entry into the United States and forced to miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite holding what he says were valid travel documents and a tournament visa.

Artan, who was set to become the first Somali official to referee at a FIFA World Cup, was stopped at Miami International Airport and subjected to an 11-hour immigration interview before being detained for several more hours and placed on a return flight to Istanbul, Turkey. FIFA confirmed on Monday that he had been removed from the list of match officials after US authorities refused him entry.

“I am very, very disappointed,” Artan told The New York Times. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream – the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”

The experienced referee said he had travelled with all the required paperwork, including a valid US visa issued for the tournament. A Somali embassy official in Nairobi told the BBC that Artan had also been provided with a diplomatic passport to facilitate his travel after earlier visa complications.

“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” Artan said.

US immigration authorities and Customs and Border Protection have not publicly disclosed the reason for denying Artan entry. The case has drawn significant attention because Somalia is among the countries affected by travel restrictions introduced under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Artan believes his nationality played a role in the decision.

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“I think that they have a problem with my country,” he said.

The White House defended the move. Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House Task Force on the World Cup, told the BBC that while he could not discuss the specifics of the case, authorities had acted appropriately.

“While I can’t go into the derogatory information on that, I can tell you it was the right decision by Customs and Border Patrol, and I support that decision,” Giuliani said.

FIFA, meanwhile, stressed that it had no influence over immigration decisions made by host nations.

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“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,” the governing body said in a statement.

“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.”

Under FIFA’s refereeing programme, all selected match officials are required to be based at a central training hub in Miami, where they undergo fitness sessions, tactical preparation and security briefings throughout the competition.

Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina established the Florida-based camp for the tournament’s 52 referees and 88 assistant referees. Officials must remain at the facility regardless of where their assigned matches are scheduled, making participation impossible without entry into the United States.

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Widely regarded as one of Africa’s leading referees, Artan has officiated at the Africa Cup of Nations, CAF Champions League matches and several FIFA youth tournaments. His World Cup appointment was viewed as a historic milestone for Somalia, a country that has had limited representation on football’s biggest stage.

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