Thomas Partey, the 32-year-old Ghana midfielder, was refused a visa to enter Canada and consequently missed Ghana’s opening match against Panama at the 2026 World Cup held in Toronto on June 17 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The visa denial was based on Partey’s pending criminal charges in the United Kingdom, including seven counts of rape and one of sexual assault, which he denies [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
The Canadian government reportedly rejected the visa application due to these unresolved charges, despite no judicial conviction to date [7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 6]. FIFA clarified that it had no role in Canada’s visa decision, stating, "immigration processes are solely determined by host countries" [2, 3, 12, 9, 10, 4, 5, 11]. A spokesperson for Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship department said each application is assessed individually under Canadian law, adding, "Hosting major events does not change immigration laws" [7, 9, 10, 5, 11].
Partey is currently with the Ghana squad based in Boston, United States, where he was allowed entry despite the pending charges, and remains eligible to play in the team’s upcoming group matches against England on June 23 in Boston and Croatia on June 27 in Philadelphia [2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 4, 5, 11]. A US Customs and Border Protection official said, "At this time he has not been convicted of a crime and was admitted to the United States after being issued a visa" [8].
Ghana’s government condemned Canada’s visa refusal as "high-handed and extremely unfair," demanding a formal review of the decision while acknowledging Canada’s sovereign rights to enforce immigration laws [7, 9, 10, 11]. The Ghana Foreign Ministry stated, "Reliance on unproven charges in the absence of a judicial determination raises fundamental questions of fairness and proportionality" [7].
Partey faces eight criminal charges related to alleged incidents from 2020 to 2022 in the UK. He was first charged in July 2025 with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. Two additional rape charges were added in February 2026. His trial is scheduled for 2027 [1, 8, 3, 5, 6]. Partey's defense lawyer Jenny Wiltshire said, "Thomas Partey continues to deny all charges against him. He has cooperated with the police throughout" [3].
Partey previously played for Arsenal from 2020 to 2025 before joining Villarreal in Spain and has earned over 50 caps for Ghana [8, 3, 4, 6]. Similar visa issues have arisen at the 2026 World Cup, including the US refusing entry to Somali referee Omar Artan due to security concerns [7, 9, 10, 11]. Artan commented, "Visa decision is a matter of fate. I would encourage my fellow Somalis not to lose heart over it" [9].
Ghana’s next World Cup matches are scheduled for June 23 against England in Boston and June 27 against Croatia in Philadelphia, where Partey remains eligible to play.
