The former Arsenal midfielder will reportedly not be available for Ghana’s opening match of the World Cup in Toronto, Canada, after his visa application was refused by the Canadian authorities.
Footballer Thomas Partey will reportedly be unavailable for Ghana’s opening match of the World Cup after being denied entry into Canada.
The former Arsenal midfielder, who now plays for Villarreal, had been expected to be part of Ghana’s squad for their Group L clash with Panama in Toronto on June 17. However, the 32-year-old will now seemingly not be able to make the trip after his visa application was refused by the Canadian authorities.
According to a report published in The Athletic, Partey remains with Ghana’s squad in the United States but is unable to cross the border for the tournament fixture in Toronto.
The midfielder was charged by London’s Metropolitan Police in July 2025 with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. He pleaded not guilty to those charges in September 2025. Partey was later charged with two additional counts of rape in February 2026 and pleaded not guilty to those allegations in April. Partey is awaiting trial and has not been convicted.
Partey was named in Ghana’s World Cup squad earlier this month and travelled with the national team to the United States ahead of the tournament. He arrived in Washington D.C. with the rest of his team-mates on June 4 before the squad moved to its training base in Rhode Island.
In a statement reportedly given to The Athletic , FIFA confirmed that Partey would not be travelling to Canada for the Panama fixture.
“FIFA can confirm that player Thomas Partey will be unable to travel from Ghana’s team base camp in Boston, USA, to Canada for their first match against Panama on Wednesday, 17 June, as his visa application has been refused by the Canadian government,” the governing body said.
“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.”
Ghana’s World Cup campaign begins against Panama in Canada before they return to the United States for the remainder of their group-stage matches. They are scheduled to face England in Boston on June 23 before taking on Croatia in Philadelphia on June 27.
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