Mogadishu – Somali referee Omar Artan will not officiate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after being refused entry into the United States, dealing a devastating blow to a man who would have made history as the first Somali official to referee a match at the tournament.
Artan was stopped at Miami International Airport despite holding a valid travel visa, just days before the World Cup kicks off on Thursday across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
According to the New York Times, Artan endured an 11-hour immigration interview at the airport before being moved to a holding cell and detained for several more hours. He was then placed on a return flight to Istanbul, Turkey. 
“I had the right papers and everything,” Artan told the newspaper. “I am very, very disappointed. 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.”
US immigration authorities have not offered any explanation for the decision. Somalia is among several countries currently under a travel ban imposed by the Trump administration.
FIFA confirmed on Monday that Artan’s situation would not be reversed, releasing a statement that read: “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 responded with composure, saying: “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 [the African federation] 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 named Africa’s best referee in 2025 and became a FIFA referee in 2018, having since gone on to officiate at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations. He was one of 52 referees assigned to matches at this year’s tournament and one of seven from Africa, alongside Pierre Atcho of Gabon, Dahane Beida of Mauritania, Mustapha Ghorbal of Algeria, Jalal Jayed of Morocco, Amin Mohamed Omar of Egypt and Abongile Tom of South Africa.
Former Somalia national team captain Ciise Aden Abshir said the decision undermined football’s core values.
“Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” Abshir said. “Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football’s commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play.”
Former referee Christina Unkel, speaking on the Hawksbee and Jacobs show, said the news made her “incredibly sick.”
“To be an official at the World Cup, this is not a four-year endeavour. This is an eight-year, ten-year endeavour. You have so much personal sacrifice of your time, time with family. Usually you end up sacrificing your job to pursue something that’s never confirmed. You’re always only as good as your last game and this is the 2025 AFCON referee of the year,” she said.
“It made me incredibly sick. It went through the referee community very, very quickly that this individual, not because of anything he’s done or because of a past history, but just because he’s being stereotyped from a country that he is not allowed to come into. It’s not a World Cup if you don’t allow the world to come in.”
Artan is not the only person who has faced entry difficulties ahead of the tournament. Switzerland striker Breel Embolo was initially refused entry to the US after his Electronic System for Travel Authorization status was placed under review, linked to a 2023 conviction relating to an altercation in 2018.
