With just hours remaining until the start of the 2026 World Cup, US president Donald Trump has been forced to defend the country’s stance on immigration, which has led to mass anger and confusion among many.

Although Mexico and Canada are also hosting matches, the vast majority of the tournament will take place in the USA. Players, staff and officials have begun to arrive in the US over the last week, leading to to a number of viral incidents.

Most notably, Somali referee Omar Artan, who had been set to take charge of a number of World Cup matches, was denied entry to the country on Monday. Despite having previously been granted a visa, Artan was told he would not be allowed to enter the country due to “vetting concerns”.

It later transpired that the decision was made as Artan shares the same name as a leader of the Al Shabab military group. However, the referee is far from the only figure to encounter resistance when attempting to enter the country.

2026 World Cup Visa Controversies Explored

Daniel Dunn via Reuters

Earlier this week, footage emerged showing players and staff from the Senegal camp being checked on the tarmac by airport security as they prepared to board a plane from Raleigh, North Carolina to San ​Antonio, Texas. Fans were enraged at the situation, accusing officials of treating the group “like criminals”.

Supporters themselves have also complained about nonsensical visa rules, with some feeling that they have been “excluded” from the tournament.

Iranian fans, in particular, are fuming. The country recently confirmed that they had had their entire allocation of tickets revoked ahead of the tournament.

Such has been the strength of public feeling about the immigration and visa issues that President Trump was forced to address the issue during a press briefing in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

Asked to respond to concerns that “people are afraid that it’s going to be harder and harder to get visas to come from outside [for the World Cup]”, Trump declared:

“We’re working on it very closely to make sure the right people come into our country.”

Trump had previously claimed: “It’s the most successful World Cup they [Fifa] have ever had,” before touting the number of tickets sold for the tournament.

Fifa President Defends Visa Controversies

In defending the actions of the US, Trump also mentioned how complimentary Fifa president Gianni Infantino had been about the host nation.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Infantino addressed the visa issues:

“It’s not easy when you have 300,000 accredited people, majority of which from outside of the US, to process them to vet them, you don’t know. Unfortunately, our world is a very aggressive world and security goes above everything and you need to respect the decisions which are taken and when I say to chill, I don’t mean to chill and do nothing.

“I mean to trust us, that we are working behind the scenes, we are trying to understand and there are things we can know, things we cannot know, things we are told, not told.

“We always try to make the situation as positive as possible and to find solutions. Sometimes we manage, other times not.

“I think it has already been successful to bring Iran to play in America. I don’t know who would have managed to do that, and of course, everyone here believes it’s the right thing to do but again, we don’t live on the moon; we live on planet earth, and you have to deal with different situations. We try to do our best and I hope we’ll have some good news.”

Liverpool have reportedly made an important offer to sign a new forward in the summer transfer window, and he could explode under new manager Andoni Iraola.

It’s going to be an interesting window for the Reds, with their recruitment team having a lot of work to do ahead of the 2026-2027 season.

Liverpool may need to find replacements for Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, who have all left the club on free transfers.

It was a disappointing 2025/2026 campaign from Liverpool, resulting in Arne Slot being relieved of his duties.

The Merseyside club did manage to qualify for the Champions League after finishing in fifth place in the Premier League, so they should have minimal issues attracting new players.

Liverpool are now entering a new era after it was confirmed that Iraola has been appointed as their new manager.

Liverpool Make Important Offer for Forward

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have made RB Leipzig forward Yan Diomande their top priority for the summer transfer window.

The Reds are believed to be offering ‘important’ money to the tricky winger in order to get a deal over the line.

Reports have claimed that Leipzig could demand in the region of £130m in order to sell Diomande this summer. It might not be a straightforward deal for Liverpool to do.

Liverpool have already spent significantly in the last year or so, so it’s a big decision they need to make on Diomande.

Diomande Could Explode Under Iraola

via Reuters

Diomande certainly has a big task on his hands if he does make the move to Liverpool in the summer transfer window.

The Leipzig winger will likely be a direct replacement for Salah on the right-hand side of attack. There will be a lot of pressure to replicate what the Egyptian international has produced.

There is every chance that Diomande could explode under new manager Iraola.

The former Bournemouth boss has a knack for developing young talent, something he did superbly during his time with the Cherries.

Iraola likes his sides to be deadly in transition, situations that Diomande will thrive in.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has broken his silence on the decision of the United States to deny entry to Somalian referee Omar Artan ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

There was outrage around the world when it emerged that Artan, the leading official from Africa, would not be allowed to enter the USA, despite having already been granted his visa.

Having arrived at Miami International Airport on a flight from Istanbul, he was informed that he would not be allowed to proceed further due to ‘vetting concerns’, essentially ending any chance of him officiating at the tournament. He had been due to become the first Somalian ever to officiate in any capacity at a World Cup.

Why Omar Artan was Denied Entry to the USA

Omar Artan via omar_artan on Instagram

Fifa initially released a brief statement confirming the news, which read:

“Fifa can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States.” However, Infantino has now expanded on that brief comment.

In the days since he was denied entry, more details have emerged concerning Artan’s case. The decision to ban him from the US was seemingly made based on the fact that he shares the same name as a leader of the Al Shabab military group.

Artan was denied in Miami for 11 hours and interrogated by officials, before he was allowed to return home to Somalia. Speaking on his arrival back home, the referee stated:

“I’m simply a referee trying to live my dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup. I had all my papers in order, yet I was interrogated for hours, thrown into prison, and then expelled. I think they have a problem with my country.”

Benoit Tessier via Reuters

Despite the controversy and anger surrounding the decision, Infantino gave a bizarrely relaxed answer when he was quizzed on the situation on Wednesday as spoke to reporters at a pre-World Cup news conference, even telling them to “chill” and “relax.”

“It is unfortunate what happened to the referee from Somalia. Again, we don’t control everything. We try, we will discuss, we will speak, we will see.

Infantino also refused to make any assurances on any repeat of the Artan debacle in future when being asked if he had “lost control” of the tournament.

“You know in 2035 I think, we hope, the women’s World Cup will be in the UK right – there still needs to be a decision but it looks like it.

Would you find it normal that Fifa would dictate to the British government who to let in the country and who not to let in the country?

I don’t know. Maybe you find it normal. I would like personally, on the other side, the reality of the matter is that in every country, there are governments that try to get into the UK, Germany, Switzerland without a visa, try to get a visa if you’re from certain countries, it’s not easy, that’s what I want to say.”