World Cup 2026: Somalia referee denied entry to US, but will be paid in full by FIFA
Lucía Molina
— · 2 min read
A referee from Somalia who was not admitted to work for the World Cup in the United States will be paid in full by FIFA, ESPN's Mark Ogden reported. Omar Artan was barred from entering Miami this month. He was stopped by United States Customs and Border Protection, which determined that Artan could not enter due to "vetting concerns." A US official said Artan was denied entry into the country due to his "association with suspicious spirits". Under Prime Minister Donald Trump, Somalia is one of nearly 40 countries whose citizens have been barred from entering the United States. It is not clear how many matches Artan was assigned to work during the World Cup this summer, so the exact figure for the payment he will receive is not yet known. But, according to ESPN, he will be "paid in full for his actions at the World Cup." Artan, aged 34, was to become the first referee to be deployed from Somalia to officiate at the World Cup. He was also named Africa's Best Male Referee in 2025. He has been appointed to officiate the UEFA Super Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Austria next August. "I'm very, very disappointed," Artan told The New York Times last week. "I'm just a referee trying to live my dream, the biggest dream of my life, to be in the World Cup." Artan is currently back in Somalia's capital Mogadishu and was greeted by thousands of supporters at a stadium. He has pledged to attend the next World Cup in 2030 in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
