By Emmanuel Nduka
One of Africa’s most celebrated football referees, Omar Abdulkadir Artan of Somalia, has been ruled out of officiating at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after U.S. authorities denied him entry into the country and deported him upon arrival at Miami International Airport.
Artan, 34, had travelled from Kenya through Turkey en route to the United States, where he was scheduled to take part in World Cup officiating duties. However, after landing in Miami, he was refused entry and placed on a return flight to Turkey. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the reason for the decision.
The Somali Embassy in Nairobi had facilitated his travel and provided him with a diplomatic passport in an effort to ease visa-related challenges. FIFA had also announced only days earlier that Artan’s visa issues had been fully resolved and that he would be available to officiate at football’s biggest tournament.
In a statement released Monday night, FIFA confirmed that the Somali official would no longer participate in the competition.
“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 world football governing body said.
The organisation stressed that immigration and visa decisions remain the sole responsibility of host governments.
“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,” the statement added.
The development has drawn attention because Somalia is among the countries affected by U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel restrictions. Trump has repeatedly made controversial remarks about Somalia and Somali immigrants, describing the East African nation in January as “the worst country in the world” and later referring to Somali immigrants in the United States as “all crooks.”
Artan’s exclusion is a significant blow both to Somalia and African football. Widely regarded as one of the continent’s finest officials, he was named Africa’s Best Referee for 2025 at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards in November, earning recognition for his performances in major continental and international competitions.
His removal from the World Cup officials’ roster comes despite FIFA’s earlier assurances that all administrative hurdles had been cleared, raising fresh questions about the impact of immigration policies on global sporting events.
