Somali World Cup referee returns home to hero’s welcome after U.S. entry denial

By  OMAR FARUKWednesday June 10, 2026

A scene of celebration greeted Somalia’s Omar Artan on Wednesday when the World Cup referee, blocked from entering the United States, landed in Mogadishu to applause, cheers and Somali flags. Artan said he still intends to reach the next World Cup and urged young Somalis to stand tall and be proud of their nation.

Artan had been poised to become the first referee from Somalia to work at a World Cup after earning a place on FIFA’s final tournament list. Already regarded as one of Africa’s leading officials, he was also named the continent’s best male referee in 2025.

He was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement without giving details of those concerns. FIFA subsequently cut him from the tournament’s referee list.

According to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya, which handled his paperwork, Artan had been granted a visa to travel to the United States last week. The U.S. is co-hosting the tournament with Mexico and Canada, and Artan was due to join fellow World Cup referees at their training base in Miami.

Back home, he was received like a hero at Mogadishu’s airport, where he thanked Somalia’s government, its people and FIFA for standing by him.

“I promise you, God willing, that I will attend the next one,” he said as hundreds of supporters at the airport waved the Somali flag. “I want the Somali public to take comfort in this and remain confident.”

The decision by U.S. authorities to bar a FIFA-appointed official from entering a World Cup host nation was highly unusual, sparked anger around the world and prompted some fans to question whether the United States was ready to stage the tournament.

Somalia is among nearly 40 countries affected by new travel restrictions introduced under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Hundreds of supporters, government officials and people from Somalia’s football community began gathering hours before Artan’s arrival at Aden Adde International Airport, where he landed at about 8:30 a.m. local time.

When he stepped off the plane, fans waving Somali flags rushed toward him and placed the national colors around his shoulders.

Police officers then escorted him to the airport’s VIP terminal, where he was greeted by Somalia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Somalia Football Federation officials and other dignitaries before speaking to reporters.

“It is up to all of us to defend the Somali name,” Artan said. “Somalia belongs to us, whether it is in a bad state or a good state. That flag belongs to us, and that passport belongs to us.”

For a country where years of conflict and the spread of the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group have narrowed opportunities for many, Artan’s setback disappointed some, but it also served as a reminder of what Somalis can achieve when they pursue their ambitions.

Artan’s anticipated breakthrough at this year’s World Cup “stands no matter what,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote Tuesday on X. “You reached the summit of your profession and inspired a generation back home just by getting there, and being kept off the pitch you earned doesn’t change that,” he added.