UN calls on US to rethink border enforcement as World Cup arrivals hit visa and entry barriers

A cascade of entry problems

A series of administrative and security-related incidents has marred the arrival of teams and officials for the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The most prominent case involves Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry by US border police on Saturday 7 June upon landing at Miami International Airport. FIFA subsequently removed him from the tournament. Artan told the New York Times that the greatest dream of his life had been shattered.

The Somali government defended the referee's integrity, insisting he held a valid visa. The US State Department, questioned by AFP, responded that Artan was linked to individuals suspected of belonging to terrorist organisations. Somalia is one of the countries whose citizens are subject to a travel ban imposed by the Trump administration.

Other teams caught in the net

Iraq's delegation encountered its own difficulties at Chicago's airport. Star striker Aymen Hussein was held for nearly seven hours on Saturday, while the team's official photographer, Talal Salah, was refused entry despite holding a valid visa. Switzerland's vice-captain Breel Embolo, born in Cameroon, was initially unable to board with his squad because of an issue with his ESTA application, linked to a prior criminal conviction. He has since obtained a visa and is expected to join his teammates on Friday.

Moroccan defender Zakaria El-Ouahdi faced a similar ESTA problem. Iran's players and coaching staff eventually received their visas and will travel by charter flight to Los Angeles on 14 June, the day before their opening match against New Zealand. However, several accompanying staff members, including federation president Mehdi Taj, had their applications refused. Iran's federation also accused the United States of withdrawing the ticket quota reserved for its supporters.

UN calls for a rethink

On Wednesday 10 June, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk held a press conference in Geneva and called on Washington to carry out a thorough review of how its migration enforcement affects human rights and human dignity, particularly in the context of the World Cup.

I sincerely hope there will be a complete reassessment of how the implementation of migration policies affects human rights and human dignity, and that, particularly in the context of the World Cup, we rethink the policies that unfortunately seem to prevail at present, especially in the United States.

FIFA's hands-off stance

FIFA, embarrassed by the mounting tensions, issued a statement to AFP clarifying that it does not interfere in the immigration procedures of the host country, including the granting of visas. The governing body has been left to observe the fallout as the tournament approaches its opening day.

A tournament shaped by exclusion

Commentators have begun framing the World Cup as an event increasingly shaped by a politics of exclusion. The pan-African news site Africa Is a Country asked whether this would be a World Cup in the absence of the world, noting that for nations like Somalia, sending a referee to such a major competition is one of the few ways to genuinely feel part of the event.

The incidents span multiple confederations and affect players, officials, and support staff, raising questions about how the remaining weeks of the tournament will be handled for delegations from countries targeted by US travel restrictions.