The Somali referee who became his country’s first to officiate in a World Cup match has been barred from entering the United States, ending his participation in the soccer tournament.
Omar Artan was turned away after arriving at Miami International Airport on Saturday and told to return to Istanbul, where he flew from. He was named Africa’s best referee in 2025.
United States Customs and Border Protection said Arton was denied entry due to “investigative concerns”, making it “inadmissible”.
Ayrton said that despite the circumstances he remained positive and focused on his next refereeing challenges.
“I thank FIFA and CAF for their support and will maintain our refereeing standards in the future,” he said. “I would like to thank the football family for their messages and wish our colleagues all the best during the World Cup and I look forward to reuniting with them at future competitions.”
FIFA: Arton unable to officiate at 2026 World Cup
World soccer’s governing body said it could not influence the US decision and confirmed Ayrton’s removal from the World Cup.
“FIFA can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 because he was denied entry to the United States,” AFP quoted a FIFA spokesperson as saying.
Ceise Adan Abshir, a senior advisor at Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, criticized the move, saying it not only harmed Artan, but also “football’s commitment to fairness, meritocracy and the spirit of fair play”.
Under President Donald Trump, the US administration has imposed travel bans on citizens of several countries as part of its immigration crackdown. Somalia is among those affected, although exceptions may be granted.
Did the national teams face any problems?
Ayrton’s case is not the only problem facing teams and officials heading to the United States for the tournament, which will also be hosted by Mexico and Canada.
Iran’s national team was forced to move its base camp from the US to Tijuana, Mexico after Washington denied visas to more than a dozen delegation members. This decision has come amid the US-Israel joint war with Iran.
Iran’s players, coaches and staff will now be allowed to enter the United States only on match days, creating travel demands that could impact performances. Iran are scheduled to play New Zealand and Egypt in Los Angeles, with a possible group decider against Belgium in Seattle.
Coach Amir Ghalenoui criticized his team’s behaviour.
He said, “Normally in these tournaments, ethical and humanitarian considerations have to be respected before technical matters – which I think was not the case for us.”
Other teams have also faced difficulties.
Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was interrogated for seven hours after arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. An Iraqi photographer traveling with the team was denied entry.
Co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, the World Cup is the biggest ever, with 48 national teams participating.
The tournament begins on Thursday, with Mexico facing South Africa in Mexico City.
Edited by: Louis Olofse
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