Omar Abdulkadir Artan Denied Entry at Miami International Airport

omar abdulkadir artan was denied entry to the United States at Miami International Airport before the 2026 World Cup finals. The Somali FIFA referee is currently in Turkey.

That stops the first referee from Somalia set to work a World Cup finals from reaching the tournament in the United States. FIFA had named 52 referees for the finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Artan’s FIFA rise

Artan became a FIFA referee in 2018, and in 2025 he was named the Confederation of African Football men's referee of the year. He has also officiated at the African Cup of Nations, giving him a record that made his selection for the World Cup finals notable well beyond Somalia.

The denial lands against the backdrop of Somalia’s place on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump's administration. That detail sits at the center of why Artan’s case matters: the referee was on FIFA’s list for the tournament, yet the trip into the United States ended at the airport.

World Cup finals route

The 2026 World Cup finals run from 12 June to 19 July across Canada, Mexico and the United States. Artan’s removal from the U.S. side of that assignment leaves a referee who was supposed to make history for Somalia away from the stage he had been selected to work.

For Somalia, the immediate consequence is plain. A referee who had been set to become the country’s first at a World Cup finals is now in Turkey, while the tournament he was chosen for moves ahead without him at Miami International Airport.