UEFA has appointed Somali referee Omar Artan to officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup after failing to participate in the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the United States due to his access being denied by US authorities.
"Football was created to connect people, and UEFA would like to show its respect for Omar and his outstanding refereeing skills, which have led to him receiving this prestigious nomination," UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said on UEFA's official website, monitored in Jakarta, Friday.
Artan has been on FIFA's international referees list since 2018 and was named the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Male Referee of the Year for 2025.
The 34-year-old referee failed to become the first Somali to referee at a World Cup finals after his visa request was rejected.
After this incident, FIFA confirmed that Omar Artan could not be a referee in the World Cup finals and has issued an official statement regarding this matter.
UEFA then appointed Artan as the referee for the 2026 UEFA Super Cup which will take place on August 12 in Salzburg, after discussions with the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The decision refers to the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently signed between UEFA and CAF to encourage cooperation in various fields, including refereeing.
UEFA and CAF are united by a shared commitment to developing football at all levels and promoting the core values of unity, equality and non-discrimination.
Artan will officiate the match between UEFA Champions League champions Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Europa League champions Aston Villa.
