Banned World Cup Referee Will Earn £75,000 After New FIFA Decision

He joined in April 2024, having previously worked at VAVEL as Deputy Editor-in-Chief, where he produced a variety of content, including pieces from press conferences and games. He also won an award for his role as lead editor for the Women's Football section of the online newspaper.

Covering football all across Europe, he has worked at stadiums such as Anfield, Old Trafford, and Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park, as well as having reported at both the 2023 men's and women's Champions League finals in Eindhoven and Istanbul.

He is infatuated with every aspect of football, but likes other sports as well, being an avid coffee-desperate Buffalo Bills supporter from across the pond and a darts' newbie. Sign in to your GiveMeSport account How much money Omar Artan will receive for the 2026 World Cup, despite being banned from entering the USA, Canada and Mexico, has been worked out, with the Somali referee still set for a windfall. Stories involving denied visa entry have become a hot topic at this summer's tournament, but none have attracted as much attention as that of the 34-year-old.

Upon arriving in the USA ahead of the World Cup, Artan was stopped by border control for several hours. Initial reports suggested the issue stemmed from problems with his ESTA application and visa paperwork, but the US government later revealed the real reason he was denied entry was due to alleged ties to a terrorist organisation.

He was subsequently sent back to his home country and, although there were attempts to allow him to officiate matches in the other two host nations, he was removed from the refereeing list for the entire tournament. Fortunately for Artan, a new FIFA ruling means he is still set to receive a significant financial payout despite missing the competition.

According to BBC Sport, even though Artan will take no part in the World Cup, FIFA has committed to paying his salary. The 2025 Confederation of African Football (CAF) men's referee of the year has since been invited to officiate the UEFA Super Cup between Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria on 12 August.

The 34-year-old, who thanked "my people and my country" after being welcomed in his homeland, has vowed to officiate at the 2030 World Cup. Artan had a year to remember in 2025, becoming the first Somali to take charge of a continental final. In June 2025, he officiated the second leg of Pyramids FC's African Champions League final victory over Mamelodi Sundowns.

England, Spain and France feature in the top 10.

FIFA appointed Artan to the U-20 World Cup in Chile, where he took charge of three matches including the third-place play-off. Then, at the end of the year, he refereed two group games at the Africa Cup of Nations, having also officiated at the tournament in 2024.

According to The Times, World Cup referees will each earn a record-breaking $100,000 (around £75,000) for their involvement in the tournament, a figure that represents roughly double what officials were paid at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

It’s an uplift that reflects both the expanded 48-team format, the increased scrutiny that comes with it, and FIFA's determination to attract the very best officials football has to offer. Those record-breaking fees are before performance-related bonuses can be achieved later in the tournament, which Artan will be unable to receive.

Given that he will have been assigned only group matches before FIFA make a decision on knockout assignees, it means the Somali whistle-holder is still set for a five-figure windfall to soften the blow of all his troubles somewhat.