FIFA World Cup: Somali referee who was denied US entry had suspected 'terror' links

Somalian referee Omar Artan, who was set to become the first official from his country to officiate at a FIFA World Cup, was denied entry into the United States over suspected links to members of terror organisations, news agency Associated Press reported, quoting a US official.

The 34-year-old referee had been selected on FIFA's final list of match officials for the 2026 World Cup and was due to join other referees at their training base in Miami before the tournament. The United States is co-hosting the World Cup along with Mexico and Canada.





US Customs and Border Protection said Artan "was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry."

After arriving in Florida, Artan was questioned about Somali politics and the Al Shabaab militant group, which US Africa Command described in 2022 as "the largest, wealthiest, and most lethal Al Qaeda affiliate."

A US official was later quoted as saying by AP that Artan was refused admission because of an "association with suspected members of terror organizations."

Following the decision, FIFA removed Artan from its list of World Cup referees. He returned to Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday, where he received a welcome from supporters and urged young people to remain proud of their country.

Artan is one of Africa's most recognised referees. He joined FIFA's international panel in 2018 and became the first Somali referee to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations when he took charge of the group-stage match between Tunisia and Namibia in January 2024.

In May this year, he officiated the second leg of the African Champions League final in Morocco. He was also named Africa's best male referee in 2025.

FIFA selects World Cup referees through a long evaluation process. Referees are first nominated by their national associations before progressing through continental tournaments and FIFA competitions. Artan officiated at the men's Under-20 World Cup in Chile last year and later attended World Cup preparation camps before being included in the final list announced in April.

Somalia is one of nearly 40 countries whose citizens are banned from entry under the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and AP reported that Somali officials say Artan might have been denied due to those restrictions.



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