US Defends Visa Ban on Somali Referee and Iranians Ahead of 2026 World Cup

The White House and U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the United States before the 2026 World Cup because of security‑vetting concerns.

Artan had arrived at Miami International Airport with a valid U.S. visa, but after a thorough inspection the Department of Homeland Security declared him inadmissible and sent him back to Turkey.

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In addition to the Somali referee, the White House also barred certain Iranian support staff from entering the country. The White House Task Force identified a direct link between some individuals who claimed to be coaches and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House Task Force on the World Cup, defended the denials, stating that the reasons were justified, though he did not disclose specifics.

“To this point we’ve had 35 teams that have come into the United States,” Giuliani told AFP at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council in Washington. “No players, no coaches have been denied. There have been some officials that have been denied, and for good reason.”

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“We’re striking that balance between making sure that any bad actors that…try to come into the country under the guise of the World Cup will not get access to the United States,” Giuliani said. “While I can’t go into the details, what I can tell you, high level, is it was for a very good reason.”

The White House envoy also said there were currently no credible threats to the tournament but that the intelligence community is intensifying its monitoring and will continue to observe the situation until the final goal is scored on July 19.