World Cup: ‘I had right visa,’ Somali referee says after US rejection

By Adegboyega Adeleye

Somali referee Omar Artan has insisted he had valid travel documents and the appropriate visa after being denied entry into the United States, a decision that has ended his dream of making history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

According to BBC Sport, Artan underwent an 11-hour immigration interview at Miami International Airport before being refused entry and placed on a return flight to Istanbul, Turkey.

The decision means the 2025 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Men’s Referee of the Year will miss the World Cup, where he had been set to become the first Somali official to referee at football’s biggest tournament.

“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.”

Artan also maintained there were no issues with his documentation. “I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” he said.

A senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports confirmed to the BBC that Artan was travelling with valid documents, while a Somali embassy official in Nairobi said a diplomatic passport had been issued to ease his travel after earlier visa difficulties.

FIFA has since confirmed that Artan will not officiate at the tournament after being denied entry by US authorities.

“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.

The organisation added that it does not play any role in host-country immigration decisions.

Artan said he was held in a detention facility for several hours following the lengthy interview process before being deported.

No official reason has been provided by US immigration authorities for the decision. However, Somalia is among the countries affected by travel restrictions introduced under the administration of President Donald Trump.

The controversy is the latest off-field issue to emerge ahead of the World Cup, which begins on June 11 across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Former England striker Ian Wright recently described the build-up as a “World Cup of chaos” amid growing concerns over ticketing, travel and accreditation issues affecting various stakeholders.

For Artan, however, the disappointment remains deeply personal.

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

The 2026 World Cup will proceed without one of its most inspiring officiating stories — a referee who had hoped to become the first Somali to take charge of a match at the tournament.

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