Somali referee barred from entering US for 2026 World Cup despite holding valid visa

FIFA said in a statement that it is not involved in host countries' entry procedures, including visa decisions, and that the government of the host ultimately decides who is admitted. "Die FIFA ist nicht in die Einreiseverfahren der Gastgeberländer, einschließlich der Visa-Entscheidungen, involviert. Wie bei früheren FIFA-Wettbewerben entscheidet letztlich die Regierung des Gastgebers darüber, wer ein Visum erhält und wem die Einreise in das Land gestattet wird," the statement read. The governing body added that it had been informed by authorities that Artan's status would not change.

Reaction from Mogadishu and FIFA

Somalia is among the countries subject to tightened US entry restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump's administration. In a separate statement, the White House Task Force leader Andrew Giuliani told the BBC he could not discuss the case in detail but supported the CBP decision as correct. "Aber ich kann Ihnen sagen, dass die Entscheidung der Zoll- und Grenzschutzbehörde richtig war, und ich unterstütze diese Entscheidung," Giuliani said.

The Somali Ministry of Youth and Sports sharply criticized the denial of entry, saying Artan was turned away "ohne einen triftigen Grund." An advisor to the ministry, Ciise Aden Abshir, said in a statement to AFP that blocking Artan from officiating planned matches "nicht nur ihm persönlich, sondern untergräbt auch das Bekenntnis des Fußballs zu Fairness, Leistung und Fairplay." The Somali government said it had contacted US authorities and FIFA immediately after the incident but had not found a solution.

Artan is not the only football figure to have faced entry problems ahead of the tournament. The BBC reported that several Scottish fans, some of whom paid high prices for tickets, were left out of pocket after being denied visas. Supporters from Senegal and Ivory Coast also face heavily restricted visa issuance, and members of the Senegalese and Uzbekistani delegations have been subjected to additional security checks upon arrival, according to media reports. Swiss national team player Breel Embolo received a visa only after additional review.

Broader entry problems for teams and fans

Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein said publicly that he was detained for nearly seven hours by CBP at Chicago airport before being allowed entry, and a team photographer accompanying him was denied entry. Iran's national team relocated its World Cup base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, with Iranian players allowed to enter the US only for their three matches in Seattle and Los Angeles before returning to Mexico the same day; many members of the Iranian delegation had not yet received visas.

The Sport and Rights Alliance, a coalition of NGOs and trade unions, had warned before the tournament that the 2026 World Cup would be held in a "Klima der Angst," citing entry bans for fans and Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. The SRA wrote to FIFA President Gianni Infantino demanding guarantees of equal access to the tournament for all qualified teams, media, and fans regardless of nationality, religion, gender, or political belief, and said it received no response. Citizens of Iran and Haiti currently face extensive entry bans that effectively exclude their fans from the World Cup.

Political context and visa policy

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in 2017 that all teams, officials, and fans must have access to the host country. "Es ist offensichtlich, dass alle Teams, Funktionäre und Fans Zugang zum Ausrichterland haben müssen. Sonst gibt es keine WM, das ist klar," he said. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, accreditations and tickets also served as visas, a rule that does not apply at the 2026 tournament. The US State Department told multiple outlets it wants to support teams' entry while maintaining US law and national security standards.

Artan departed Miami on the next available flight, returning to Istanbul, and announced he would travel on Wednesday to the Somali capital Mogadishu. Upcoming delegations expected during the week include those from Uzbekistan, Colombia, Senegal, DR Congo, and Ghana. His deployment has also been ruled out in the other host countries, Mexico and Canada.

President Trump, in earlier public remarks, had said of Somalis: "Die Somalier sollten nicht hier sein. Sie haben unser Land zerstört," and called Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia, "durch und durch korrupt," adding: "Sie sind alle Betrüger. Jetzt ziehen wir die Daumenschrauben an." Trump has separately said Omar should be "zum Teufel aus unserem Land geworfen."