Arab and Muslim community leaders in the United States are raising serious concerns about what they describe as a pattern of visa denials, detentions and entry refusals targeting players, officials and fans from Arab and Muslim countries at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The concerns came to a head this week when Omar Artan, who was set to become the first Somali referee in World Cup history, was turned away at Miami International Airport on Saturday.
Artan, who won the 2025 Confederation of African Football Men's Referee of the Year award, insisted he had the correct documentation. He was put on a flight back to Turkey.
Thousands of people lined the streets of Mogadishu to welcome him home.
But community leaders say Artan is not an isolated case.
"The World Cup should bring nations together, not apart. Why is our country creating barriers such as visa denials, detentions, screenings and restricted travel, preventing athletes, team officials and fans from participating?" Warren David, President, Arab America Foundation
Reports have since emerged of other players and fans being held for extended questioning at US airports. Iraqi player Aymen Hussein was among those detained, according to Hassan Nijem, president of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce in Illinois, who said the public is only hearing about the most high-profile cases.
For fans across the Middle East and South Asia who were already navigating complicated broadcast access to this tournament, the entry denials add another layer of frustration to what should be a straightforward experience of watching football.
If you are in the region and trying to follow every game, our World Cup 2026 Middle East streaming guide covers the free options available right now, and our South Asia broadcast guide has the confirmed deals for Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
"Reports of Arab and African players and fans being held for hours of questioning at US airports, and in some cases denied entry despite having their immigration paperwork in order, are extremely troubling. Not only does the situation undermine our claimed commitment to civil liberties and the rule of law, but it is also working against our own economic interests." Jenin Younes, President, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, when asked about the Artan situation at his opening press conference in Mexico City on Wednesday, said it was "unfortunate" but added that FIFA cannot tell governments who to let into their countries.
Community leaders are pushing back on that position, calling on FIFA to take a stronger public stance before the situation gets further out of hand.
Nijem drew a direct comparison to the 2022 tournament.
"When the Arab world hosted the World Cup in Qatar, there was no discrimination. Politics was set aside for the respect of sport." Hassan Nijem, President, American Arab Chamber of Commerce in Illinois
The situation is feeding a growing #BoycottWorldCup movement on social media, with fans from across the Arab and Muslim world expressing frustration at what they see as politics overshadowing the tournament before a single ball has been kicked.
It also raises a practical question many fans outside the US are now asking: if physical access to the host country is this complicated, how do you make sure your digital access to the games is not.
A VPN lets fans anywhere in the world connect to a server in their home country and access the free broadcaster they are entitled to. For someone in the Middle East, that might mean connecting to a UK server and pulling up BBC iPlayer, which is showing matches for free.
Our full breakdown of the best VPNs for World Cup 2026 covers exactly how to do this, and our PIA VPN review goes into detail on the option we recommend most for streaming football reliably.
"It is very sad. Not entirely surprising given deteriorating bilateral relations between the US and Arab, Muslim and other countries, but very sad." Khalil Jahshan, Executive Director, Arab Center Washington DC
FIFA has not issued a formal statement addressing the wider detention reports beyond Infantino's comments about the Artan case.
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