MIAMI: A Somali referee selected by FIFA for the upcoming Football World Cup was denied entry into the United States upon arrival at Miami International Airport and was sent back on a return flight, according to media reports.
Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was named Africa’s Best Referee of 2025, was reportedly refused entry by US immigration authorities after arriving in Miami. Officials subsequently placed him on a flight back to Türkiye.
Reports said the Somali Embassy had provided Artan with a diplomatic passport before his trip to the United States.
Neither FIFA nor U.S. authorities immediately provided details regarding the reasons for the denial of entry.
The FIFA World Cup is scheduled to begin on June 12 and will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The expanded tournament will feature 48 teams for the first time in World Cup history. The participating nations have been divided into 12 groups of four teams each, with a total of 104 matches set to be played during the competition.
More read, EA Sports predicts Spain as 2026 FIFA World Cup winner
Earlier, A video game simulation widely known for accurately predicting past FIFA World Cup winners has tipped Spain to lift the 2026 trophy, just two days before the tournament kicks off.
EA Sports FC, a popular football video game company, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that it has correctly predicted the World Cup winner in the past four editions and is once again forecasting the champion.
According to the company, Spain will win the FIFA World Cup 2026.
EA Sports’ simulation previously predicted Spain in 2010, Germany in 2014, France in 2018 and Argentina in 2022 all of which went on to win the tournament.
