Africa’s Best Referee of 2025, hand-picked by FIFA to officiate at the 2026 World Cup, was barred from entering the United States just days before a pre-tournament seminar. No reason has been given.
Asal Post Garissa / Mogadishu June 8, 2026.
Omar Abdulkadir Artan, the man poised to become the first Somali referee ever to officiate at a FIFA World Cup was denied entry to the United States over the weekend, just days before critical FIFA preparatory proceedings were set to begin.
Artan had been personally selected by FIFA to work the 2026 tournament, hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico. He boarded a flight from Istanbul to Miami on Saturday. Upon arrival, U.S. authorities turned him away. He was on a return flight to Istanbul by Sunday.
No official reason has been made public by U.S. officials, FIFA, or Somali authorities.
“He was expected to become the first Somali referee to officiate at a FIFA World Cup.”
Diplomatic Passport — Still Rejected
According to reports circulating on Somali social media, the Somali Embassy in Nairobi had already intervened before the journey, facilitating Artan’s travel on a diplomatic passport. It appears to have made no difference at the U.S. port of entry.
The Head of Referees at the Somalia Football Association has since formally raised the matter with FIFA. The global governing body acknowledged the situation and said it would respond as soon as possible but no public statement has been issued.
The Broader Context
The incident did not occur in a vacuum. On June 4, 2025 exactly one year before this World Cup kicks off a U.S. presidential proclamation placed restrictions on the entry of Somali nationals into the country. Whether that order directly caused Artan’s denial has not been confirmed.
What is beyond dispute is the human cost: a referee who was crowned Africa’s Best at the CAF Awards in Rabat, Morocco, now faces the real possibility of missing the biggest stage in football played on the very soil he was refused entry to.
Asal Post will continue to follow this story as it develops.
