The head of the White House Task Force for the World Cup defended the decision not to grant visas to a Somali referee and some support staff for the Iranian team, citing security concerns.
"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," says Andrew Giuliani.
Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who had been expected to officiate at matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup but was denied entry to the United States, is received as he arrives at the Aden Abdulle Osman International Airport in Mogadishu on Jun 10, 2026. Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.
WASHINGTON: The head of the White House Task Force for the World Cup on Tuesday defended the decision not to grant visas to a Somali referee and some support staff for the Iranian team.
"To this point we've had 35 teams that have come into the United States," Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the task force, said at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council in Washington. "No players, no coaches have been denied. There have been some officials that have been denied, and for good reason.
" A US State Department official told AFP on Tuesday night that the referee was"associated with suspected members of terrorist organisations," therefore"making the traveler ineligible for admission to the United States". "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.
Artan, who in 2025 was named men's referee of the year by the Confederation of African Football, would have been the first Somali to referee at a World Cup. Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump's administration as part of a broader immigration crackdown.
Iran, who will play their three group games on American soil, were forced to switch their training base to Mexico due to the ongoing military conflict with the US. Giuliani said"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 he"can't get into the particulars" but"there are some people that claim that they are coaches that may not be coaches".
Giuliani said Trump wants to make sure that there is a"level playing field" for all of the teams taking part in the World Cup"while also making sure that people that are directly working, let's say, with the IRGC have no ability to access the United States of America". The White House envoy also said there were currently"no credible threats" to the tournament but the intelligence community is"tripled down" and will continue to monitor the situation"between now and whenever the final goal is scored on July 19".
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