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Somali referee Omar Artan has spoken of his heartbreak after being denied entry into the United States, a development that has dashed his hopes of becoming the first Somali official to officiate at a FIFA World Cup finals.
Artan, who had been selected among the match officials for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, was removed from FIFA’s refereeing list after being stopped by immigration authorities at Miami International Airport and subsequently deported to Turkey.
Speaking to The New York Times on Tuesday, the award-winning referee expressed deep disappointment over the decision, insisting that he had complied with all travel requirements.
“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,” Artan said.
The 2025 Confederation of African Football Men’s Referee of the Year revealed that he underwent an extensive immigration interview that lasted approximately 11 hours before he was ultimately denied entry into the United States.
“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” he stated.
According to Artan, he was later escorted to a holding cell, where he spent several hours before being placed on a return flight to Istanbul.
United States immigration authorities have not publicly disclosed the reasons behind the decision. However, Somalia is among countries affected by travel restrictions introduced under the administration of President Donald Trump.
Following consultations with US authorities, FIFA confirmed that Artan would no longer be eligible to participate in the tournament.
“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 global football 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.”
A senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports told the BBC that Artan had travelled with valid documentation, while an official at Somalia’s embassy in Nairobi disclosed that he had been issued a diplomatic passport specifically to ease his travel after encountering visa-related challenges in the past.
The decision effectively rules Artan out of the World Cup, despite the tournament also being co-hosted by Canada and Mexico. Under FIFA regulations, all selected referees and assistant referees are required to be stationed at a training and preparation base in Miami before and throughout the competition.
Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup, defended the decision while speaking to the BBC World Service.
“While I can’t go into the derogatory information on that, I can tell you it was the right decision by Customs and Border Protection, and I support that decision,” Giuliani said.
Artan, however, suggested that his nationality may have influenced the outcome.
“I think that they have a problem with my country,” he said.
The incident has reignited concerns about immigration and visa-related complications surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19.
Artan’s exclusion is particularly significant given that he had been on course to make history as the first Somali referee to officiate at football’s biggest tournament, a milestone now left painfully out of reach.
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