Players and officials are being detained or barred entry into US

Gabon's Denis Bouanga is shown the yellow card by Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan during the Africa Cup of Nations match between Gabon and Ivory Coast in Marrakech on December 31, 2025. The award-winning Somali referee was denied entry to the United States for the World Cup.

Sammy Westfall, Maria Sacchetti, Mustafa Salim

Some World Cup players and team staff are being questioned or outright barred from entering the United States, angering their fans and heightening concerns about how immigration enforcement will be carried out during one of the world’s most international sporting events.

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was named Africa’s best men’s referee last year, was denied entry to the US last weekend at Miami International Airport and forced to fly back home.

Artan has an “iconic” status in Somalia and is a “symbol of resilience,” said Ciise Aden Abshir, senior adviser for Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports. “He was the first referee from Somalia who absolutely reached these heights” - one of 52 referees selected by FIFA for this year’s tournament. Now, Abshir said, that “dream has been shuttered.”