The tournament, which starts on Thursday, has already been defined by greed and xenophobia. But there’s still something beautiful worth celebrating.

Omar Artan was set to become the first Somalian to officiate a World Cup match. He was denied entry to the United States on Monday at Miami International Airport.

Award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan, set to be the first from his country to officiate at the World Cup, was denied entry to the United...

Somali referee Omar Artan, who was set to make history as the first official from his country to officiate at a FIFA World Cup, has reportedly been denied entry into the United…

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan has been ruled out of officiating at the 2026 World Cup after being denied entry to the United States, FIFA said Monday, in a decision that…

Somali referee Omar Artan will miss the 2026 World Cup after being denied entry into the United States. FIFA confirmed his exclusion from the tournament.

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan has been barred from officiating at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after being denied entry into the U.S.

A Fifa official since 2018, Omar Artan was set to be the first Somali to referee at the World Cup finals

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan will not take part in this summer’s World Cup after he was denied entry into the United States, FIFA confirmed on Monday.

Omar Abdulkadir Artan was one of 52 match officials listed for the World Cup, and the first ever from Somalia. But he hasn’t been allowed into the USA.

Omar Artan, Africa's top referee in 2025, was set to become the first Somali national to officiate at a FIFA World Cup before being denied entry by US authorities

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- A Somali referee was on Monday dropped from the World Cup after he was denied entry to the United States, reigniting concerns about how Don

Omar Artan was set to be the first match official from Somalia to referee at a World Cup finals

The United States denied entry to CAF Referee of the Year Omar Artan, forcing the Somali official out of the FIFA World Cup and raising concerns about visa restrictions affecting…

Omar Artan, Somalia's top referee and Caf's 2025 referee of the year, was barred from entering the United States, losing his chance to officiate at the World Cup.

FIFA confirmed that Artan will not take part in the tournament, saying he will be unable to attend training or officiate at the World Cup after being denied entry.

The official from Somalia flew from Istanbul to Miami with a diplomatic passport.

After Somalian referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan had his ‘dream’ of officiating at the World Cup denied by the host nation on the eve of the tournament, Fifa is forgetting its own…

After being denied entry to U.S. for World Cup, Africa's top ref is devastated. “I had the right papers and everything,\

Freedom of movement was a stipulation of hosting a World Cup – so what happened, Fifa?

With the 2026 World Cup set to commence this week, one of the tournament's biggest off-field controversies involves Somali referee Omar Artan