Somali referee Omar Artan, set to make history at the 2026 World Cup, has been removed from the officials list after being denied U.S. entry.
Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan has been removed from the 2026 World Cup officiating roster after U.S. border authorities denied him entry at Miami International Airport, FIFA said Monday.
Artan had been selected among the 52 referees for the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States and was set to become the first Somali to referee at a World Cup finals. FIFA said he will now be unable to take part because the tournament’s match officials are based in Miami for training, preparation and security.
“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,” a FIFA spokesperson said in a statement reported by multiple outlets.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Artan arrived Saturday on a flight from Istanbul and underwent additional inspection, which the agency described as a routine process used to verify information or determine whether a traveler may be admitted. CBP said he was found inadmissible because of “vetting concerns.”
FIFA said it was not involved in host-country immigration decisions, including visa adjudications, and had been told Artan’s status would not change “at present.” The governing body said, as with previous FIFA events, the host government decides who receives a visa and who is admitted.
The BBC reported that a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports said Artan had been traveling with valid documents. The BBC also reported that a Somali embassy official in Nairobi said Artan’s diplomatic passport had been issued to ease travel after earlier visa difficulties. CBS News reported that the specific basis for the U.S. decision remained unclear beyond CBP’s cited vetting concerns.
Somalia is among the countries covered by a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration. CBS reported that the order includes exemptions for World Cup athletes and staff, while leaving immigration officials discretion to decide whether to admit individual travelers.
Artan, who became a FIFA referee in 2018, has worked in Somalia’s national football league and officiated at the Africa Cup of Nations. He was named the Confederation of African Football men’s referee of the year in 2025. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud praised his World Cup selection in April, saying Artan had become “a symbol of inspiration for the new generation of Somalis.”
Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports said it had confidence in Artan’s integrity and professionalism, while the Somali Football Federation has contacted FIFA seeking urgent clarification, according to the BBC.
In a statement to Reuters and AFP, Artan said he was focused on what comes next in his career. “Despite the circumstances I am in a positive mood and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career,” he said.
The World Cup is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19. FIFA’s next step will be to manage the tournament’s officiating roster without Artan as officials continue preparations from their Miami base.
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