White House Defends Visa Denials for Somali Referee, Iranian Team Officials Ahead of World Cup

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The head of the White House Task Force for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has defended the United States’ decision to deny entry visas to a Somali referee and some members of Iran’s football delegation, insisting the move was necessary for security reasons.

Speaking on Tuesday at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council in Washington, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House World Cup Task Force, said U.S. authorities were balancing tournament accessibility with national security concerns.

“To this point, we’ve had 35 teams that have come into the United States,” Giuliani said. “No players, no coaches have been denied. There have been some officials who have been denied, and for good reason.”

“We’re striking that balance between making sure that any bad actors that try to come into the country under the guise of the World Cup will not get access to the United States,” he added.

Somali Referee, Iranian Officials Affected

Giuliani was responding to questions about the denial of entry to Omar Artan, who was due to officiate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Artan, who was named the Confederation of African Football’s men’s referee of the year in 2025, would have become the first Somali official to referee at a FIFA World Cup. He was reportedly turned back upon arrival at Miami International Airport despite holding a valid visa and travel documents.

While declining to provide specific details, Giuliani said the decision was made for security reasons.

“While I can’t go into the details, what I can tell you, high level, is it was for a very good reason,” he said.

The visa denial comes amid immigration restrictions introduced by the administration of Donald Trump, with Somalia among the countries affected by the travel measures.

Iran has also been impacted by visa restrictions ahead of the tournament. The Iranian Football Federation said its allocation of supporter tickets had been revoked and that several members of the team’s support staff were denied visas.

Giuliani maintained that all members of Iran’s coaching staff had been cleared to enter the United States but suggested that some officials denied entry may have misrepresented their roles.

“All the Iranian coaching staff is coming in, but there are some Iranian officials that are not coming in — again for very good reason,” he said.

“There are some people that claim that they are coaches that may not be coaches.”

The official also referenced concerns about individuals with links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.

Giuliani said the Trump administration wants to ensure a “level playing field” for all participating teams while preventing individuals associated with the IRGC from entering the country.

The visa controversy comes as tensions remain high between the United States and Iran. Iranian authorities recently relocated the national team’s training base to Tijuana due to the ongoing military and diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

Despite the concerns, Giuliani said U.S. intelligence agencies have not identified any immediate threats to the tournament.

“There are currently no credible threats,” he said, adding that security and intelligence agencies have significantly increased monitoring efforts and will continue to assess risks through the conclusion of the tournament on July 19.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, with matches scheduled across all three nations.

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A Lagos-based journalist with a passion for disseminating factual information and a deep appreciation for good music, good food, movies, and beautiful cars. He hopes to travel the world someday, documenting its beauty and diverse cultures through his storytelling.