Somali referee denied US entry for World Cup to be paid full fee

The Somali referee who was denied entry to the United States for the World Cup will still be paid his full tournament fee.

A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Omar Artan will still be entitled to payment despite not officiating any games at the near six-week long event. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

They said the fee would be determined after the tournament concludes next month.

Artan is one of soccer's top officials and was named Africa's best male referee in 2025. But the Somali national was denied entry after arriving at Miami International Airport from Istanbul last week.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Artan was “inadmissible due to vetting concerns”.

He had originally been issued a visa to travel to the U.S., according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya, which processed it, and was due to meet up with other World Cup referees at their training base in Miami.

FIFA said it was not involved in the immigration processes and that the host government ultimately determines who is granted entry. As a result it said Artan would not be able to train and officiate at the World Cup.

The 34-year-old Artan was given a hero's welcome when he returned to Somalia earlier this week and vowed to attend the next edition of the World Cup — mainly staged in Morocco, Portugal and Spain - in 2030. He was also appointed to officiate one of European soccer's showcase games, the UEFA Super Cup in August.

“Football is made to connect people and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills,” UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said in a statement.