Ghana international Thomas Partey has been refused entry into Canada ahead of his country’s opening match of the World Cup group stage against Panama next week.
FIFA confirmed that the midfielder was unable to travel from Ghana’s training base in Boston to Toronto with the rest of the squad after his visa application was rejected by Canadian authorities. FIFA stressed that immigration decisions remain the responsibility of host nations and are not influenced by the governing body.
“FIFA is not involved in the immigration processes of host countries, including the adjudication of visas. As with previous FIFA events, the host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and is admitted into the country,” the organisation said.
Partey, 32, is currently on bail while facing multiple serious criminal charges in the UK. He denies all allegations.
The former Arsenal midfielder—now playing club football for Villarreal—has been accused by four women of rape and sexual assault relating to incidents alleged to have taken place between 2020 and 2022. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which now total seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
He was first charged in July 2025, with additional allegations added in February 2026. His trial is scheduled to begin in June 2027, with a further court hearing set for October 2026. As part of his bail conditions, he is prohibited from contacting the alleged victims.
Despite the travel disruption, Partey is still expected to be available for Ghana’s upcoming fixtures held in the United States. Ghana face England in Boston on June 23, followed by a group-stage match against Croatia in Philadelphia on June 27.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed that Partey was admitted into the United States earlier this month after being issued a visa, despite being aware of the ongoing legal case.
“The U.S. is aware of the pending court case for Mr Partey; however, at this time, he has not been convicted of a crime and was admitted to the United States after being issued a visa,” CBP said in a statement.
The agency added that all travelers are subject to inspection on arrival and that admissibility decisions are made case by case based on available law enforcement and immigration information. It also noted that it defers to Canadian authorities regarding the separate decision to deny entry.
Partey previously joined Arsenal in 2020 in a £45 million transfer from Atlético Madrid. He left the London club for Villarreal in June 2025.
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