Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the FIFA World Cup, on 10 June publicly defended the decision to deny a US entry visa to Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan and certain support staff members of the Iranian football team, just days before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off across North America. The move has drawn attention to the intersection of geopolitics and sport as the tournament prepares to open on 11 June.

The Referee Denial

Omar Abdulkadir Artan was among the 52 referees selected by FIFA to officiate at the World Cup finals, which are being held across Canada, Mexico, and the United States from 11 June to 19 July. He was denied entry to the United States on Tuesday.

Speaking at an event in Washington, Giuliani said he could not disclose the specific grounds for the denial but insisted the decision was justified. 'So there's been one referee who has not been admitted, and while I can't go into the details, what I can tell you at a high level is it was for a very good reason. I support that decision. I was speaking directly with the secretary of Homeland Security and the commissioner of CBP on Sunday,' he said. 'The days are blending together. It was for very good reason that ultimately this referee did not get in the country,' Giuliani added.

Iranian Team's Visa Complications

Iran, scheduled to play their three group-stage matches on US soil, relocated their training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, after encountering difficulties with US visa processing for team staff. Security concerns linked to the ongoing military conflict also reportedly influenced the decision.

Giuliani acknowledged that not all Iranian officials received clearance. 'All the Iranian coaching staff is coming in. There are some Iranian officials that are not coming in. Again, for very good reason, I can't get into the particulars on that, but as you can imagine, there are some people that claim that they are coaches that may not be coaches,' he said.

All 31 Iranian Players Cleared

Despite the complications surrounding support staff, all 31 players in the Iranian squad — the standard 26 plus 5 additional selections — have had their visas issued, according to Giuliani. The team is set to travel from their Tijuana base to US host cities for each match.

'They're going to be able to come into the country the day before their match. They're based in Tijuana, which is about a 25-minute flight to Los Angeles. So it'll be a real quick flight for them to be able to get up there. If they were to drive up LA, it might take eight hours. So I definitely recommend that they end up flying,' Giuliani said.

Broader Context

The visa denials come amid heightened US scrutiny of visitors from several nations and against the backdrop of an active military conflict involving Iran. This is not the first time geopolitical tensions have complicated athlete and official travel for a major sporting event hosted by the United States. FIFA has not yet issued a formal public statement on the referee replacement. The tournament's opening match is days away, leaving little room for resolution of any outstanding accreditation disputes.