Has The USA Divided The World Cup?

Source: https://pamfleti.net/english/sport/arbitrit-iu-refuzua-hyrja-ne-shba-per-kupen-e-botes-reagon-donald-trump-ki-i339803

On June 7th 2026, a 34 year old Somalian man, set to become the first Somalian referee to officiate at the 2026 World Cup arrived at Miami International Airport, departing from Istanbul. His name is Omar Artarn and he undergoes almost 11 hours of questioning by US CBP covering Somali politics and the terrorist group Al Shabab, verifying again his legitimacy as a referee from FIFA, providing the approved 3 Month Visa’s and confirming his motive for entering the US - to referee at the highest level in football. 

The CBP however, then placed him in a holding cell for a few hours before he was deported back to Istanbul due to quote: “vetting concerns”, with a Trump Administration officer later telling CNN News it was due to the presence of quote: “derogatory information, including association with suspected members of terror organizations”. 

Similarly, Iran’s national team has been denied visas for certain key managerial and administrative staff members, while the turbulence of the Iran war caused the national team to relocate to Turkey in order to prepare for the World Cup. The combined tension and threatened boycott of the world cup by Iran due to the denial of visa to senior team staff has resulted in them stationing in Mexico for the entirety of the tournament and flying across the border for all their matchdays, which ironically, are in the US.

Now these cases of increased suspicion towards foreign players can be traced back to Trump’s Travel bans on countries like Somalia and Iran prompting a complete ban on all foreign nationals with exemptions for those to participate in this world cup. However the US’s CBP vetting process has resulted in some medical officials and support staff from Iran having been denied visas or delayed entry according to Reuters  

This puts into perspective the result of Trump’s mass deportation policies ever since the start of his 2nd term, ironic of a man awarded the FIFA World Peace Prize in late 2025 to be responsible for protocols that have created an unprecedented hostile front towards foreign players in world cup history.

Now the USA’s actions stand in contrast to other football federations across the globe including its cohosts Mexico and Canada which haven’t any issues admitting teams with UEFA’s President Aleksander Ceferin rewarding the Omar Aratan with a new high profile role in officiating The UEFA Super Cup between PSG and Aston Villa in Mid August, quote saying: 

“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,” 

It appears that although the FIFA calls the Peace Prize one that “Unites the world”, Canada and Mexico seem to be doing a better job.

But as Mexico and South Korea fans party side by side after winning their opening games on the 12th, it proves that the spirit of the game is still much alive in the US. Its ruthless and beautiful storylines of a nation, from missed penalties to late game winners, a tale of humans on the cusp of achieving greatness or being haunted by crucial mistakes.

But as this story of visas and controversies quickly dies behind the roar of the growing crowd, it brings up the question: 

“Are the USA’s vetting procedures in the genuine belief of national security concerns, or on biases and suspicions of possible terrorist activity?”