A Somali referee due to officiate at this month’s World Cup will miss the tournament after being denied entry to the US.

Omar Artan, 34, was denied entry upon arrival at Miami International Airport and forced to board a flight back to Istanbul.

US immigration authorities did not provide a reason for turning Artan away, but said the referee was “determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry”, Al Jazeera reported.

Somalia is one of 39 countries affected by the Trump administration’s travel ban.

US president Donald Trump has repeatedly disparaged the country, calling Somali immigrants “low-IQ” and “bad people” at a White House Easter lunch in April.

Artan was named the Confederation of African Football’s referee of the year in 2025 and was set to be the first official to represent his country at a World Cup.

He told AFP: “Despite the circumstances I am in a positive mood and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career.”

A Fifa spokesperson said: “Fifa can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States.”

They added: “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 US’s draconian immigration policies have also posed a problem for a number of other teams.

Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was detained for nearly seven hours on Saturday after flying into Chicago’s O’Hare airport.

After extensive questioning, he was eventually allowed into the country. But the team’s official photographer was barred from entry.

Visa issues have forced the Iran national team to stay in Mexico for the duration of the tournament.

The players have been granted a dispensation to travel to the US to play their three group stage matches in Los Angeles, but must return south of the border after each game.

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Monday that plans to increase the number of ICE agents in New York would “ruin the spirit of the World Cup”.

“Soccer would not exist without immigrants. Immigrants play and coach the game, work in the stadiums, fill the stands, and make celebrations like the World Cup possible,” Mamdani wrote on social media.

“Six of the players on the US Men’s National Team are immigrants. We will not allow ICE or anyone else to sow fear in our communities – especially at this moment.”

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