Topline
A former Arsenal midfielder who was set to play for Ghana in the country’s World Cup opener next week has been denied entry to Canada after he was charged with several counts of rape and sexual assault.
Key Facts
Thomas Partey, who has not been convicted of any crimes, will not be able to travel from the Ghana team’s base camp in Boston to Canada for the team’s opening game against Panama, FIFA confirmed in a statement to the Athletic Friday.
Partey has been charged with seven total counts of rape and one of sexual assault in London (he has pleaded not guilty to all charges) and the Canadian government maintains the right to deny entry to anyone who has “committed or been convicted of a crime.”
The charges are the result of allegations by four different women and Partey is set to be tried in November, but court proceedings may be pushed to next year, per the Athletic.
Partey arrived in the United States with the Ghanaian team earlier this month and is expected to play in games in Boston on June 23 and in Philadelphia on June 27.
WHO ELSE HAS BEEN DENIED ENTRY TO WORLD CUP COUNTRIES?
Football referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the United States this week because his home country, Somalia, is subject to a Trump administration travel ban. Fans from Morocco and Scotland have reportedly had their travel documents denied or revoked. The World Cup team and officials from Iran were unsure if they’d been granted U.S. entry until last-minute visas were approved on Friday. Other players—Aymen Hussein of Iraq, Woodensky Pierre of Haiti and Breel Embolo of Switzerland—all reported troubles with travel to the United States but did ultimately arrive. Iran last month said it would move its team’s home base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico because officials from the U.S. said they didn’t want to host the team.
Key background
Partey, 32, plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Villarreal and the Ghanaian national team. He’s most famous for joining Arsenal in a 2020 transfer worth €50 million ($57 million)—making him the most expensive Ghanaian player of all time—and played for the team until his contract expired in June 2025. Partey was charged in June 2025 by the Crown Prosecution Service of London with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault based on the accusations of three women. In February 2026, Partey was charged with two new counts of rape relating to the accusation to a fourth woman. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and his lawyer has denied the claims.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
How Ghana’s team is welcomed. Partey is often met with jeers from home fans when he plays with Ghana, but the team may receive a warmer reception in Canada without him. He was booed every time he touched the ball during Ghana’s final pre-World Cup friendly against Wales earlier this month.