Somali World Cup Referee Gets Hero’s Welcome After US Visa Denial

World Cup referee Omar Artan from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States received a hero’s welcome by a crowd of supporters and officials on Wednesday as he arrived in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu.

Artan was set to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA’s final list for the tournament. He is one of Africa’s top referees and was named the continent’s best male referee in 2025.

He was issued a visa to travel to the U.S. last week over “vetting concerns,”, according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya that processed it

Artan returned to a hero’s welcome at the airport in Mogadishu, where he thanked the Somali government and people as well as FIFA for their support for him, stating that he plans to be at the next World Cup and urged Somali youths to be proud of their country.

“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 U.S.’s highly unusual move to deny a FIFA-appointed match official permission to enter a World Cup host country drew outrage across the world and raised questions among some fans about America’s capacity to host the competition.

Somalia is one of nearly 40 countries subject to new travel restrictions under the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.