The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been overshadowed by growing controversy over visa denials and entry restrictions affecting players, officials, and match personnel across multiple countries.
The latest case involves Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey, who has been denied entry into Canada and will miss his country’s opening match of the tournament due to ongoing legal proceedings in the United Kingdom. FIFA has confirmed that immigration decisions remain the responsibility of host nations and not the governing body.
However, Partey’s situation is part of a broader pattern emerging across the tournament, with multiple cases of restricted access linked to security vetting, legal issues, and immigration policies.
In a separate development, a Somali referee selected for World Cup duty was also denied entry into the United States despite holding valid credentials. U.S. immigration authorities cited “vetting concerns” in the decision, raising questions over consistency in officiating appointments.
Iran’s World Cup preparations have also been disrupted, with reports that at least 15 members of its football federation, including senior officials, were denied visas to enter the United States for World Cup-related duties. The team has since been forced to adjust logistics, including relocating its base camp to Mexico and managing cross-border travel for matches scheduled in the United States.
Iranian officials have described the situation as “unacceptable”, while FIFA has reiterated that host governments are solely responsible for immigration and entry decisions.
The series of incidents has raised wider concerns about the operational challenges of staging a World Cup across three host nations, the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with questions emerging over fairness, access, and consistency for participating teams and officials.
Despite the tensions, FIFA insists the tournament will proceed as planned, stressing that visa and entry matters fall under the jurisdiction of individual host countries.
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