Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey was confirmed as unavailable for his national team’s opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after the Canadian government refused his visa application.

FIFA said Partey could not travel from Ghana’s United States base to Canada for the June 17 fixture against Panama at BMO Field in Toronto. The governing body stressed that it does not decide whether players or other tournament participants may enter a host country. Those decisions remain the responsibility of the relevant national government. [Source 13559]

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not publicly provide a case-specific explanation for the refusal. In a statement, the department said people seeking entry are assessed individually under Canadian law. It added that staging a major international event does not alter the country’s immigration rules and that the government was seeking to support the tournament while protecting public safety and security. [Sources 13558, 13559]

Partey, 32, had been selected for Ghana’s squad for the World Cup, which is being staged across Canada, Mexico and the United States. He had arrived in Washington, D.C., with his teammates on June 4 before the squad moved to its training base in Rhode Island. The visa decision prevented him from joining the team for its first Group L game but did not remove him from the tournament squad. [Source 13559]

Ghana’s remaining scheduled group matches are both in the United States. The team is due to face England at Gillette Stadium in the Boston area on June 23 and Croatia at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on June 27. Partey remains eligible to appear in those fixtures. A later knockout match in Canada, if Ghana advances and is assigned one, could raise a further travel issue. [Source 13559]

The Villarreal player is awaiting trial in England on seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The allegations include conduct said to have occurred while he was playing for Arsenal, and the case is due to be heard at Southwark Crown Court in London. The trial was initially planned for November 2026 but could be postponed until early 2027. [Source 13559]

Under his bail conditions, Partey must inform the authorities about intended foreign travel. The supplied reporting does not establish that Canada formally attributed the visa refusal to the pending criminal proceedings, and IRCC’s public statement did not disclose its assessment of his individual application. [Source 13559]

Partey joined Villarreal after leaving Arsenal and made 32 appearances for the Spanish club during the 2025–26 domestic season. Ghana entered the tournament seeking to advance from a group beginning with Panama, but the visa refusal left the team without one of its most experienced midfielders for the Toronto opener. [Sources 13558, 13559]