Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan will not officiate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after U.S. authorities denied him entry into the country, FIFA has confirmed.
Artan, who was set to become the first Somali referee to take part in the tournament, arrived at Miami International Airport on Saturday from Istanbul but was barred from entering the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stated that he was “determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns.”
“During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility,” CPB spokesperson told 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.”
FIFA confirmed the development on Monday, saying: “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.”
US authorities haven’t disclosed why Artan was denied entry, but FIFA has absolved itself from blame, saying that it doesn’t control the immigration policies of the host countries.
“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,” a FIFA spokesperson said in a statement. “In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country.”
The 34-year-old referee, named the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Referee of the Year in 2025, was one of 52 match officials selected by FIFA for the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
