White House defends visa denials for Somali referee, Iranians ahead of World Cup

The White House is defending its decision to deny visas to a Somali referee and some members of the Iranian delegation participating in the 2026 World Cup. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, stated that the U.S. has welcomed 35 teams without issue, emphasizing that no players or coaches have been barred from entry.

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To date, we have had 35 teams come into the United States. No players or coaches have been denied entry.

Giuliani explained that the exclusions were based on "very good reasons," aimed at preventing individuals with malicious intent from entering the country under the guise of the World Cup. He specifically addressed the case of Omar Artan, a 34-year-old Somali referee designated Referee of the Year by the Confederation of African Football in 2025, who was denied entry at Miami airport. Giuliani reiterated that the denial was for a valid reason, though he could not disclose specifics.

Somalia is among the countries whose citizens are subject to U.S. travel restrictions. Iran's delegation faced visa issues, forcing them to relocate their training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico. The Iranian football federation also reported the revocation of their fan ticket allocation and visa denials for some support staff.

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There have been some officials that have been denied, and for very good reasons.

Giuliani confirmed that the entire Iranian coaching staff would be admitted but noted that "some Iranian officials" would not be allowed entry, again citing "very good reasons." He suggested that some individuals claiming to be coaches might not be legitimate. The official stressed the administration's commitment to ensuring fair play for all participating teams while preventing access for individuals potentially linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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We are looking for that balance between making sure that any bad actor that... tries to get into the country under the guise of the World Cup does not have access to the United States.

While Giuliani stated there are currently no credible threats against the tournament, intelligence agencies have tripled their efforts to monitor the situation until the final match on July 19. The task force aims to balance security concerns with the logistical needs of hosting a global event.

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Although I cannot go into the details, what I can tell you, broadly speaking, is that it was for a very good reason.