Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan could miss a historic appearance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after being denied entry into the United States.
Artan was recently named the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Men’s Referee of the Year for 2025 and is among the 52 officials selected by FIFA for the World Cup. The Somali official became a FIFA referee in 2018 and has since officiated at major tournaments, including the Africa Cup of Nations.
According to BBC, Artan was stopped at Miami International Airport and denied entry into the United States. He has since been repatriated and is currently in Turkey.
No official reason has been provided by US immigration authorities. However, Somalia is among the countries affected by a travel ban introduced by the administration of President Donald Trump.
Artan’s World Cup appointment was set to be a landmark achievement for Somali football. He was on course to become the first referee from Somalia to officiate at the World Cup finals.
The 2026 tournament will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 12 to July 19.
The situation has created uncertainty over Artan’s participation in the competition. FIFA has yet to comment publicly on the matter, leaving questions over whether the award-winning referee will be cleared to perform his duties at football’s biggest tournament.
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