Somali Referee Omar Artan Blocked from World Cup in US
Omar Artan was on the brink of history. Instead, his World Cup dream ended at a passport control desk.
The Somali referee, who was set to become the first person from his country to officiate at a World Cup, has been ruled out of the tournament after being denied entry into the United States.
Artan arrived at Miami International Airport on Saturday on a flight from Istanbul, prepared to join FIFA’s team of match officials. He never made it past US Customs and Border Protection.
US authorities confirmed that a Somali national scheduled to referee at the World Cup had been refused entry, without naming him. With Artan the only World Cup referee from Somalia, the identity of the official in question was clear.
FIFA later confirmed the blow: Artan will not train or officiate at the tournament.
“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 governing body said in a statement. “In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country.”
For Artan, it is a brutal twist. He had already been named 2025 Confederation of African Football (CAF) men's referee of the year, a marker of his rise through the ranks and his standing on the continent.
US Customs and Border Protection set out its version of events in a detailed release. The agency said the traveller underwent “additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility.”
The tone then hardened.
“Following inspection, the traveller, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry,” the statement read.
CBP stressed that every person arriving at a US port of entry faces the same framework, whether a tourist or a World Cup official.
The agency underlined that all travelers — “including athletes, coaches and staff” — are subject to inspection and vetting on arrival. “Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection,” CBP said. “CBP officers have the authority to question travellers, conduct inspections, and determine admissibility consistent with US law.”
The decision leaves FIFA without one of its selected officials and Somalia without its pioneering representative on the game’s biggest stage.
For a referee who had climbed from one of world football’s most challenging environments to the very top tier, the line was supposed to be drawn on the pitch, whistle in hand. Instead, it was drawn at the border.
