A Somali referee, who was due to officiate in the 2026 World Cup, has been denied entry to the United States.
Omar Artan, who was set to become the first Somali to referee a World Cup match, was stopped at Miami International Airport after arriving from Istanbul on Saturday.
Following an inspection, he was denied entry to the country due to “vetting concerns”, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement.
The CBP did not reference Artan by name, but he is the only Somali referee taking part in the World Cup.
Fifa confirmed on Monday that Artan would not be able to train and officiate at the tournament, which starts across the US, Mexico and Canada on June 11, with the majority of the games in the States.
“Despite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career,” Artan, who was named the Confederation of African Football’s referee of the year in 2025, said in a statement.
“I would like to thank Fifa and the Confederation of African Football for all their support and I promise to keep my refereeing levels up as I concentrate on the future.
“I want to thank the football family for their messages and wish my colleagues all the best success during the World Cup and I look forward to joining them again in future competitions.”
In its own statement, Fifa said it was not involved in the immigration processes and was informed by authorities that Artan’s status “will not be changed at present”.
“In line with previous Fifa events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country,” the football association said.
Trump suspended the entry of Somali nationals in a proclamation June 2025, describing the country as a “terrorist safe haven”.
It followed a January executive order which called on the administration report which countries had “deficient” vetting and screening information amid a crack down on immigration.
The entry of people from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen is also suspended.
In its statement, the CBP said all travellers entering the US are subject to a vetting process.
“During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility,” it said.
“Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry.
“Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection,” the statement continued.
“CBP officers have the authority to question travelers, conduct inspections, and determine admissibility consistent with US law.”
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