Thomas Partey will miss Ghana’s World Cup opener after Canada refuses him entry
Canada has refused Thomas Partey a visa, ruling the Ghana midfielder out of their World Cup opener against Panama in Toronto.
Jun 13, 2026
Ghana will open their World Cup against Panama without Thomas Partey, after the Canadian government refused the midfielder a visa to enter the country. The Group L fixture is set for June 17 at BMO Field in Toronto, and one of Ghana’s most experienced players will not be there for it.
FIFA confirmed the situation in a short statement, saying his visa application had been refused by the Canadian government and stressing that it plays no part in the immigration decisions of host nations. Canada, the United States and Mexico are sharing the tournament, and entry is decided by each host rather than by the organisers.
Why Partey was refused entry
The refusal is tied to criminal charges Partey faces in the United Kingdom. The former Arsenal midfielder, now at Villarreal, has been charged with multiple counts of rape and a count of sexual assault, all of which he denies, and the case has yet to come to trial. Canadian authorities declined to admit him while those proceedings remain open.
Ghana plan to appeal
Ghana’s football authorities have pushed back hard, calling the reasoning flimsy and asking for the decision to be reviewed through the proper channels. They argue the refusal runs against international conventions. With the opener only days away, though, there is little time for any appeal to change the side Otto Addo can field in Toronto.
Available again for England
The picture changes once the opener is out of the way. Ghana’s second group game, against England on June 23, is in Foxborough just outside Boston, and their third, against Croatia on June 27, is in Philadelphia. Both are on United States soil, so a separate American visa would clear Partey to play in them. The Canada refusal looks set to cost him one match rather than his whole World Cup. For a Ghana side that leaned on him throughout qualifying, even a single game without their midfield anchor is a blow they would rather have avoided.