Soccer would not exist without immigrants. Immigrants play and coach the game, work in the stadiums, fill the stands, and make celebrations like the World Cup possible. Six of the players on the US Men's National Team are immigrants.
We will not allow ICE or anyone else to sow fear in our communities — especially at this moment. As the world comes to our city, we will stand proudly with our immigrant neighbors and reject these attacks for what they are: an attempt to divide us.
Gianni Infantino, 2025: "It’s important to clarify this. There is a lot of misconception out there. Everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico and the United States for the FIFA World Cup next year."
FIFA today: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 👉 🇺🇸
https://t.co/ee9AL6ZANG
Why is it called the World Cup when some people from certain regions are excluded? Is football and sports generally supposed to unite people from all walks of life?
Somali referee Omar Artan has been denied entry into the United States after getting selected to officiate at the FIFA World Cup.
The 2025 CAF Referee of the Year was "determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns" per the U.S. Department of Customs and Border Protection.
Award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan was officially selected by FIFA to officiate at the 2026 World Cup, but he has reportedly been denied entry to the United States despite travelling on a diplomatic passport.
He landed in Miami and was then flown to Istanbul.
This is why the World Cup should not be held in a fascist country.
🇺🇸🏆⚽️🔥 MUNDIAL 2026:
El árbitro somalí Omar Abdulkadir Artan, elegido por la FIFA para el Mundial 2026 y distinguido por la CAF como mejor árbitro africano de 2025, fue rechazado al llegar a Estados Unidos en el aeropuerto de Miami y deportado de regreso a Estambul.
A Somali referee who is due to officiate at the World Cup has been denied entry to the U.S. after “vetting concerns” emerged upon his arrival in Florida over the weekend.
Omar Artan arrived at Miami International Airport on a flight from Istanbul on Saturday but was barred from entering the country following a “routine” inspection, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed in a statement to The Athletic.
Artan, the 2025 Confederation of African Football men’s referee of the year, is one of 52 referees handpicked by world governing body FIFA for the tournament.
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Somali referee Omar Artan has been denied entry to the United States for the World Cup, according to a Somali government official.
Artan was named as a match official for the tournament in April and had been set to become the first Somali to referee at a World Cup. https://t.co/WqlYU6X9jN
World Cup referee - Africa's best - is denied entry to United States and sent back after landing at Miami Airport, despite having a diplomatic passport https://t.co/rJep4ipJ8o
US DEPORTS ‘Africa’s BEST referee’ Omar Abdulkadir Artan
Somali kicked out of Miami en route to World Cup — Daily Mail
Diplomatic passport ignored — no explanation