FIFA President Gianni Infantino will address the media on the eve of the World Cup on Wednesday, as off-field distractions have plagued the tournament’s buildup.
Infantino is sure to face stern questions about exorbitant ticket prices and an immigration crackdown that has prohibited a senior referee, fans, and club executives from co-hosting in the United States.
The chairman of the world football governing body will hold a rare press conference in Mexico City, where co-hosts Mexico face South Africa in the opening match on Thursday at the Estadio Azteca.
The 2026 men’s World Cup has been enlarged to 48 teams, making it the largest and most ambitious event in history, with matches also held in Canada.
However, the denial of US immigration authorities to allow Somali referee Omar Artan, one of Africa’s top match officials, into the US raised concerns that Donald Trump’s immigration policy would leave lasting scars on the football spectacle.
Artan said the “biggest dream of my life” had been ripped away after he was turned back at the US border.
“I am very, very disappointed,” Artan told The New York Times.
“I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”
The Confederation of African Football selected Artan the 2025 men’s referee of the year, and he would have been the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup.
He claimed he was subjected to an 11-hour questioning with border officials at Miami International Airport, followed by several hours in a holding cell before being flown back to Turkey.
“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” he added—an assertion confirmed to AFP by a Somali government advisor.
A US State Department official told AFP that the referee was “associated with suspected members of terrorist organizations,” rendering the tourist unsuitable for admission to the United States.
Artan was greeted like a hero in Mogadishu and promised to return for the following event in 2030.
“I will be at the next World Cup and will continue to make Somalia proud… Despite what has happened to me, I am not discouraged,” Artan told more than 100 supporters and journalists at Mogadishu’s main airport.
Meanwhile, there were concerns that the curtain-raiser in Mexico City would be marred by social unrest.
On Tuesday, protesters blocked a roadway leading to the Estadio Azteca, but police lines kept them from entering the stadium.
Following a week of action described as a “provocation” by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, thousands of people participated in the event.
Sheinbaum has stated that the opening match is “guaranteed,” but the left-leaning leader has again ruled out using police to quell the protests.
