Is this already the ‘World Cup of Chaos’?

(CNN) — Note: This is story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here.

It’s now just two days to go until the start of the World Cup and it’s safe to say that things are heating up both on and off the pitch. While teams put the finishing touches to their preparations and hunker down into their camps across North America, we’ve seen somewhat predictable visa issues make headlines before a ball is even kicked.

Visa issues precede the ‘World Cup of Chaos’

And visas issues are where we’ll start today’s edition of The Beautiful Game. There was plenty of talk in the months prior to this opening week about who will and won’t be able to enter the United States for the World Cup.

Now that it’s here, the reality of President Donald Trump’s harsh immigration rules are being rammed home.

The Trump administration’s stringent policies had put a question mark over how people from certain countries would be able to participate in the tournament and that was seen in stark reality on this weekend, when Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry into the United States.

Artan was named Africa’s top male referee in 2025 and was chosen by the Confederation of African Football to take part in this year’s World Cup. Only now, he won’t be able to do so, as confirmed by FIFA. The US government cited “vetting concerns.”

When asked about Artan’s case, a US Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told CNN that he underwent additional inspection upon arriving in Miami following a flight from Istanbul.

Somalia is one of the 39 nations affected by the Trump administration’s travel ban.

A FIFA spokesperson said it is up to the host government to determine who receives a visa and who is “admitted into their country.”

“Despite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career,” Artan said in a statement.

“I want to thank the football family for their messages and wish my colleagues all the best success during the World Cup and I look forward to joining them again in future competitions.”

The news of Artan’s ban comes after other countries, notably Iran, have also had some issues with entry into the United States, notably increased security measures for certain teams who have landed for the tournament.

Meanwhile, there are reports that several Scotland fans have had their travel permits revoked at the last minute, costing them thousands of dollars on hotel and flight costs, per BBC Sport.

The snowballing story has been met with understandable backlash, with former Arsenal great and England international Ian Wright labeling the tournament the “World Cup of Chaos.”

You can read more about the ongoing visa headache here.

Quote of the day

These are the beautiful words written by Rute Cardoso, wife of the late Portugal star Diogo Jota, to Scotland captain Andy Robertson.

Jota was Robertson’s teammate at Liverpool, and the pair had struck up a tight friendship during their time together at the club. It was a bond strengthened when both missed out on competing at the Qatar World Cup four years ago.

As you’ll remember, Jota and his brother André Silva died in a car crash last summer. It was a heartbreaking moment that rocked the soccer world and had a particular impact on Robertson, who had always discussed playing at the tournament in 2026 with Jota.

When Scotland qualified for this summer’s competition, an emotional Robertson shared how much Jota had been in his thoughts. They were words appreciated by Jota’s wife who penned a letter through FIFA that was presented to Robertson.

“By achieving that moment and securing your place at the World Cup, you won’t be going alone; you’ll be taking his dream with you,” she added.

France looks magnifique ahead of highly-tipped campaign

We had another host of warmup matches on Monday and one particular team stood out.

France, considered by many as one of the top two tournament favorites, flexed its mighty attacking muscles in a 3-1 win against Northern Ireland.

It was Les Bleus’ final game before flying to North America and manager Didier Deschamps fielded a very strong lineup, including the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué. But it was in-form winger Michael Olise who was the difference-maker, scoring a sensational hat-trick to send his team racing into the World Cup.

His third goal was the pick of the bunch, cutting in from the right-wing before bending a trademark effort into the far corner of the goal. It was a reminder of just how talented this French team is going forward.

It was also Deschamps’ final home game as France manager. The 57-year-old is stepping down from his role after the summer, having won the World Cup in 2018 during his reign.

The French will now head to North America where they will be one of the last teams to arrive for the World Cup. It will be interesting to see how the decision to remain in Europe until the days before kickoff will affect their adjustment to the US’ heat and time zones.

WATCH: World Cup cities prepare for influx of tourists amid safety concerns

Iran says its World Cup ticket allocation withdrawn

By CNN’s Aida Karimi and Issy Ronald

Iran’s ticket allocation for the upcoming World Cup has been withdrawn a week before its opening game, the country’s soccer federation (FFIRI) said in a statement Tuesday, via state media.

Under regulations set out by FIFA, roughly 8% of the tickets to every World Cup match were reserved for each team competing in it so that national federations could sell them to their fans.

Team Melli is scheduled to play all three of its group games in the United States later this month, facing New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, and Egypt in Seattle. Iranian public support for the national team cuts through social, regional and political faultlines, making it a powerful uniting force.

However, the FFIRI said Tuesday that its ticket allocation had been withdrawn, “and under current circumstances the federation is unable to provide even a single ticket to supporters of the national team.” It did not specify who pulled the allocation.

“This comes despite the fact that many Iranian football fans had already made travel and attendance plans based on the officially announced process,” it added.

CNN has contacted FIFA for comment. Iran’s soccer team touched down in Mexico’s northwestern city of Tijuana on Sunday – right next to the US border – as Tehran criticized Washington over its visa restrictions for the team, which will limit the time the team spends in the US.

This is the first time since the World Cup’s inception in 1930 in which a host nation will receive a country it is actively at war with, according to Reuters.

Messi Watch heads to Auburn

A match to look out for later today is Argentina playing Iceland in its final warmup game before the World Cup.

The friendly is being played at Auburn University’s Jordan-Hare Stadium and fans will flock to the arena in the hope of seeing Lionel Messi. The superstar was an unused substitute in Argentina’s latest friendly against Honduras as he continues to recover from a minor injury scare but is expected to get at least a few minutes in Alabama.

“Yeah, he will play. What I don’t know is how many minutes,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said Monday.

“I still have to speak with him in today’s training, and we’ll see how many minutes to avoid any type of risks. We’ll decide, but in principle, he’ll have some minutes.”

The Final Whistle: Where are you watching the World Cup final?

It may be over a month away, but it’s probably time to start thinking about how and where you’ll be watching the World Cup final on July 19. For those of us at CNN Sports’ London hub, it’s likely to be the newsroom – hopefully with an England (Editor’s note: or Spain) shirt on as they play for the trophy – with some snacks. But another option is going to be a watch party in New York’s Central Park.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul, along with the New York hosting committee, announced the free event on Monday, calling it one of the largest World Cup watch parties in the world.

A total of 50,000 people will be able to watch the final together on the park’s Great Lawn. Tickets will be allocated by a lottery system, with people able to register from Thursday up until July 16.

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