Somali international referee Omar Artan, who was recently barred from participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, will officiate the top fixture of the final round of the Kuwaiti football league between Kuwait and Qadsia on the 29th of this month, in an initiative by Kuwait Football Association president Sheikh Ahmad Al Yousef.
According to the official website of the Kuwait Football Association, the invitation to Artan came in coordination with the Somali Football Federation, in a step that reflects the depth of bilateral relations between the two associations and aims to strengthen cooperation and the exchange of expertise, particularly in the development of refereeing in the region.
The Kuwait Football Association noted that Artan, who is 34 years old and the winner of the Best African Referee award for 2025, is considered one of the most prominent referees on the African continent. Artan had been set to become the first Somali referee to officiate matches at a World Cup, but his hopes were dashed when he was prevented from entering the United States, which is co-hosting the finals alongside Canada and Mexico, despite having obtained a visa.
A US State Department official said the Somali referee had ties to individuals suspected of belonging to terrorist organisations, which rendered him ineligible to enter the United States.
The Kuwait-Qadsia match carries special significance as one of the classic fixtures in Kuwait, even though it is of marginal importance since Kuwait clinched the league title three rounds before the end of the season — for the fifth consecutive time — an achievement no other club in the country has ever accomplished.
Artan will also referee the UEFA Super Cup match between French side Paris Saint-Germain, the Champions League winners, and English side Aston Villa, the Europa League winners, on 12 August in the Austrian city of Salzburg, by decision of UEFA.