The United States has not allowed a Somali judge to enter the country, and is preventing the Iranian from seizing the tickets

The Somali Government has described as "regrettable" the US immigration service's ban on enteringthe country\u00A0 Omar Abdulkadir Artan , who was to be the first Somali to lead a showdown in the history of the World Cup, and has demanded an explanation from Washington and FIFA.

In a statement, Judge Omar Abdulkadir Artan himself thanked "the football family for their messages" and wished "great success" to the referees who will lead the games at the World Cup.

"Despite the difficult situation, I have a positive attitude and I have my mind set on the next challenges of my career, and I would like to thank FIFA and CAF for all their support, and I am committed to maintaining my level while focusing on the future," he said.

The US Customs and Border Protection Service (CBP) has stated that the entry of the Somali judge was "deemed unacceptable due to problems in the background verification process and denied entry" after landing at Miami International Airport on 6 June on a flight from Istanbul.

Somaliais onthe long list of citizens who have been banned from travelling to the US by the government of far-right President Donald Trump, along with Afghanistan, Libya, Iran, or Yemen, among others.

On the other hand, the Iranian Football Federation said in a statement that "less than three days after the start of the 2026 World Cup, it is regrettablethat the host country continues to make a number of decisions that are outside the traditional sports grounds, this time Washington has tried to prevent Iranian supporters from going to the football field that will host the three group stage meetings. "

The Iranian federation has stated that, according to FIFA regulations, 8% of the capacity of each match is for participating federations, allowing fans in each country to purchase tickets through this official mechanism in coordination with the federation.

The FFI stated that it had received the entry fee and initiated the process of selling tickets for matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt through its official website. "However, to an unexpected extent, the entry quota for the Iranian Football Federation has been rejected and, in the current circumstances, it is impossible for Iranian fans to be given a single entry through the federation," the agency said.

Iran arrived on Sunday in the Mexicancity of Tijuana , bordering the United States, where it will have its stronghold at the World Cup in the face of the logistical and diplomatic obstacles it accuses the White House of.

According to the Iranian authorities,members of the 15 team and other members of the technical and managerial team have not yet been authorized to enter the United States.