2026 World Cup: Co-host reaches out to referee Omar Artan rejected by US

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, named best African referee of 2025 and selected for the 2026 World Cup, was denied entry to the United States despite a valid visa and diplomatic passport. British Columbia Premier David Eby publicly offered on X that he referee in Vancouver. However, FIFA cannot reassign him to Canada because all referees are based in Miami for daily training. Artan, 34, expressed his distress in an interview with the New York Times.