The #USA did not allow a Somali referee for the 2026 World Cup The USA did not approve Africa’s best referee for the 2026 Football World Cup. Omar Abdulkadir Artan from Somalia had been included by FIFA in the tournament’s list of referees and could have become his country’s first representative at a World Cup. But after he arrived in Miami

https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/somali-soccer-referee-his-way-back-home-after-being-denied-entry-into-united-2026-06-09/