Award-winning World Cup referee from Somalia , Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States, was received by a crowd of supporters and officials on Wednesday as he arrived in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu, where he said he plans to be at the next World Cup and urged Somali youths to be proud of their country.
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 denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over "vetting concerns," US Customs and Border Protection claimed in a statement without giving details of those concerns. FIFA subsequently cut him from the tournament's referee list.
Artan was issued a visa to travel to the US last week, according to the Somali Embassy in Kenya, which processed it. The US is co-hosting with Mexico and Canada, and Artan was due to meet up with other World Cup referees at their training base in Miami.
He 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.
"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 US's highly unusual move to deny a FIFA-appointed match official entry to a World Cup host country drew outrage worldwide. It 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 .
Hundreds of supporters, government officials and members of Somalia’s football community gathered hours before Artan arrived at Aden Adde International Airport at about 8:30 a.m. local time.
As Artan disembarked, supporters waving Somali flags crowded around him before draping him in the flag.
Police officers then escorted him to the airport’s VIP terminal, where he was welcomed by Somalia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, officials from the Somalia Football Federation and other dignitaries and spoke to the press.
"It is up to all of us to defend the Somali name," Artan said. "Somalia belongs to us, whether it is in a bad state or a good state. That flag belongs to us, and that passport belongs to us."
While Artan's denial disappointed many, it reminded some in the country of what is possible if they pursue their dreams.
Artan's expected milestone at this year's World Cup "stands no matter what," the World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote Tuesday on X.
"You reached the summit of your profession and inspired a generation back home just by getting there, and being kept off the pitch you earned doesn’t change that," he added.