Somalia’s Omar Artan Vows World Cup Return After US Entry Ban

Somalian referee Omar Artan has vowed to return stronger after being denied entry into the United States for the FIFA World Cup, receiving a rousing welcome from supporters upon his arrival in Mogadishu.

More than 100 well-wishers gathered outside the VIP section of Mogadishu’s main airport on Wednesday, waving Somali flags and cheering as Artan stepped off a Turkish Airlines flight.

“I will be at the next World Cup and will continue to make Somalia proud… Despite what has happened to me, I am not discouraged,” Artan told journalists.

The referee’s exclusion from the tournament has triggered widespread anger in Somalia, where his appointment to the World Cup officiating team had been celebrated as a national achievement.

“They wronged him in a way that hurts everybody who is concerned about humanity,” Mohamed Said, a Mogadishu government official, said at the airport.

Artan, who was named the Confederation of African Football’s men’s referee of the year in 2025, was stopped from entering the United States on Saturday after arriving at Miami International Airport.

A US State Department official told reporters that Artan was “associated with suspected members of terrorist organisations”, therefore “making the traveller ineligible for admission to the United States”.

FIFA later confirmed that Artan would no longer be part of the World Cup, which begins on Thursday across Canada, Mexico and the United States.

His inclusion in the 52-member list of match officials for the tournament had been a source of immense pride in Somalia.

In April, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud described Artan as “a symbol of inspiration for the new generation of Somalis”.