Concerns continue to surface in the United States days before the 2026 World Cup kicks off. Following visa and entry incidents involving players from Iran, Iraq, Switzerland and South Africa, the latest case to emerge is that relating to referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, appointed by FIFA to officiate the tournament which kicks off on Thursday, June 11.

The Somali, who is among the 52 match officials selected by FIFA to enforce the rules, was deported to Turkey after being denied entry into U.S. territory.

Despite traveling with a diplomatic passport and having obtained his visa after some prior delays, Artan was not authorized to enter the country and was sent back to Turkey.

Artan, considered the best referee on the African continent, was set to make history as the first Somali official to attend a World Cup, and he refereed the CAF Champions League final between South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns and FAR Rabat from Morocco.

The head of referees of the Somali Football Association has written officially to FIFA about Omar’s denied entry to the United States. The governing body acknowledged the issue and will respond as soon as possible.

Who is Omar Artan?

Artan, who received his FIFA badge in 2018, has built a career in African football. He has officiated in World Cup qualifying in Africa, the Africa Cup of Nations and the CAF Champions League.

He has officiated six World Cup qualifying matches on the African continent, issuing 36 yellow cards and no red cards — figures that supported his appointment to the World Cup.

FIFA asks host countries of the World Cup for flexibility on visa matters. However, the referee’s case adds to those of national teams such as Iran, Iraq and South Africa, which had major difficulties entering the United States.

Aymen Hussein was detained and questioned for nearly seven hours at Chicago’s O’Hare airport after arriving with the team, while visa requests were rejected in Iran for several members of its staff.

According to reports, the referee returned to Istanbul while awaiting FIFA’s decision and hopes to be able to enter the city of Miami, where referees will meet for a pre-tournament seminar.

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