Somali referee Omar Artan barred from US World Cup duty, to officiate UEFA Super Cup Final
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Artan will be the first African referee to officiate the UEFA Super Cup final on Aug. 12.
Somali soccer referee Omar Artan was set to become the first African official to referee at the 2026 World Cup, but was denied entry into the United States. He has since been appointed to officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa on Aug. 12.
Artan, 34, is one of Africa’s leading referees and was named the continent’s best male referee in 2025. FIFA selected him to officiate at the 2026 World Cup based on his experience in international competition, as previously reported by TheGrio.
When he arrived in Miami on Wednesday, Artan was questioned for several hours before being denied entry into the United States by Customs and Border Protection. Officials cited “vetting concerns” and “association with suspected members of terror organizations” as reasons for the ban, ESPN and The Associated Press reported.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino drew criticism over the handling of Artan’s case and told critics to “chill and relax,” according to ESPN. However, due to the controversy surrounding his situation, UEFA has appointed Artan to lead the Super Cup, the pre-season matchup between Champions League and Europa League winners in Salzburg, Austria. He will be the first African referee to officiate the UEFA Super Cup final.
“Following discussions with its sister confederation, Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), UEFA has today appointed Somali referee Omar Artan to officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup, which will take place on 12 August in Salzburg between UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Europa League winners Aston Villa FC,” UEFA said in a news release statement.
It continued, “Despite his young age, Artan has established himself as one of the world’s top referees and has been on the FIFA international list since 2018. Among the most notable matches he has officiated is the second leg of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League final. In recognition of his performances, he received the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year Award 2025.”
“Artan had been included by FIFA in the match officials’ list for the FIFA World Cup 2026, but could not participate as he was not allowed to enter the United States.
The decision to appoint Artan to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match has been made in the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) recently signed between UEFA and CAF to encourage cooperation in many areas, including refereeing. UEFA and CAF are united by a shared commitment to developing football at all levels and promoting the core values of unity, equality and non-discrimination.”
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin also spoke highly of Artan and said, “Omar Artan is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football. Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination. I am grateful to my friend CAF President Patrice Motsepe for supporting enthusiastically our initiative.”
“Omar Artan has made Somalia and the entire people of the African Continent extremely proud. His receipt of the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year Award 2025 and his appointment as a referee of the FIFA World Cup 2026 are a recognition of his world-class refereeing ability and the international respect that he enjoys,” CAF president Dr Patrice Motsepe said.
She continued, “I am very thankful to my friend, Aleksander Čeferin, for enabling Omar Artan to officiate the UEFA Super Cup 2026 match. This is a great honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football, bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”