The U.S. Is Detaining the World Cup’s Guests

The World Cup is supposed to welcome the world. The United States, apparently, would prefer to question it for seven hours and then maybe send it home.

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was supposed to make history this summer as the first Somali official to work a World Cup match. Instead, U.S. authorities denied him entry at Miami International Airport, despite reports that he held a valid visa. FIFA then confirmed that Artan would miss the tournament entirely because its referees are required to train at a centralized base in the United States, even if they might eventually officiate games in Canada or Mexico.

For context, Artan isn’t some rando guy who wandered into the wrong immigration line. He was named Africa’s best male referee in 2025 and had been selected by FIFA to help officiate the largest sporting event on Earth.

But the Trump administration said Artan was denied entry because of alleged links to “suspected members of terror organizations.” But in classic Trump fashion, they’ve not publicly provided any details supporting that allegation. Artan returned to Somalia, where he received a hero’s welcome, and the UEFA offered him a consolation prize of sorts: officiating the “Super Cup” in August.

And it looks like Artan isn’t the only World Cup participant whose arrival in the United States has looked less like a welcome and more like an interrogation.

Aymen Hussein, Iraq’s star striker, was held and questioned for nearly seven hours after arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport with his national team. Hussein was ultimately admitted, but Iraq’s team photographer, Talal Salah, was questioned for more than 10 hours, had his phone inspected, and was eventually denied entry altogether. 

Iraq is returning to the World Cup for the first time in 40 years and Hussein is one of the players responsible for getting them there. And yet, the team’s first experience in the host country was watching its key player disappear into questioning for a day while a staff member was turned away.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the organization’s handling of the visa problems, stressing that FIFA can’t override a country’s immigration decisions and telling critics to “chill and relax.” Very reassuring stuff from the man selling the tournament as a celebration of global unity.

Not surprising though since Infantino has spent years wooing Trump. FIFA leased an office on the 17th floor of New York’s Trump Tower, basically paying hefty rent to the Trump family for an office that soccer officials say sits mostly empty. The New York Times has reported on how Infantino has just showered the president with praise, trophies, even a “FIFA Peace Prize.” He’s made trips to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s National Doral Golf Club, and was even spotted at the failed “Melania” documentary premiere. All to make sure the World Cup goes smoothly.

But the way these visa controversies are being handled and the way FIFA is bowing down to Trump is creating a contradiction that is impossible to ignore. The United States wants the money, prestige, tourism, and global attention that come with hosting the World Cup without the inconvenience of actually welcoming it. At this rate, the World Cup’s toughest qualifier may be U.S. Customs.