Updated: 2026-06-19 | Live information should be confirmed against official announcements
Ghana midfield mainstay Thomas Partey missed the Black Stars’ opening match at this World Cup — not because of injury, nor a tactical call, but because he was denied a Canadian visa and could not enter the country. The matter went all the way to the Federal Court of Canada, and it still ended with Ghana losing the case. For fans following the African sides who happen to be in Toronto in person, this was the biggest surprise story before kickoff, and I want to lay out the verified version in full.
According to reporting from outlets including the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), ESPN, Sky Sports and Al Jazeera, Canadian immigration authorities, relying on Section 36(1)(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), found Partey “inadmissible.” The key reason is the criminal charges he currently faces in the United Kingdom — a total of 7 counts of rape and 1 count of sexual assault — to all of which he has entered a plea of not guilty. In other words, Canada refused him entry on the basis of these charges that have “not yet been tried or proven,” rather than over a simple paperwork defect or a routine border check.
Ghana did not accept this outcome. Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement criticising Canada’s decision to deny the temporary residence application as “high-handed and extremely unfair,” and said that while it respects Canada’s sovereign right to enforce its immigration policy under the law, refusing someone entry on nothing more than unproven allegations, absent any judicial conviction, raises fundamental questions of fairness and proportionality. Ghana’s football association and government subsequently launched diplomatic representations and filed an urgent appeal with the Federal Court of Canada, asking the court to intervene.
One common misconception needs to be corrected here: the parties actually conducting the mediation and the legal process were the Ghanaian government/football association and the Canadian courts, rather than FIFA stepping in. As of the time of this write-up, no credible source indicates that FIFA made any substantive intervention or overturned the case, and any handling at the FIFA level should still be confirmed against official announcements.
The Federal Court hearing was scheduled for the day before the opener. On 16 June 2026, the presiding judge, Roger Lafrenière, dismissed the urgent application brought by Partey’s side. The ruling stated that what the player was seeking was a form of “extraordinary, mandatory interim relief,” tantamount to asking Canada to set aside an “inadmissibility determination lawfully made,” and the court declined to grant it. The judge also noted that Partey had separately filed a visa reconsideration request and a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) application, but that none of these was enough to get him into the country in time for kickoff.
The upshot: Partey was confirmed absent for Ghana’s World Cup opener. That group-stage match (Group L) took place on 17 June 2026 at BMO Field in Toronto, where Ghana edged Panama 1-0, with Caleb Yirenkyi delivering a last-gasp winner in the 95th minute. Taking all three points despite missing their midfield linchpin was, for the Black Stars, a hard-earned start that turned out well in the end.
The story, however, was not over. Because this World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, and most of Ghana’s remaining Group L matches are being played inside the United States — for example the fixture against England on 23 June at Foxborough, Massachusetts — Partey was not affected by this Canadian entry ban and remained eligible to play in the matches held in the U.S. In other words, this was an absence tied to “a specific host country and specific fixtures,” not an exit from the tournament as a whole.
For friends who are in Canada and holding tickets to Ghana’s fixtures, my take is this: the matches themselves were not cancelled or postponed over this affair — they went ahead as scheduled. What was really affected was the lineup on the pitch and fans’ expectations, not the schedule. If you want to keep on top of the Black Stars’ upcoming opponents and broadcast arrangements, you can refer to our continually updated World Cup group-stage schedule round-up, as well as our round-up of where to watch the broadcasts in Canada; and if it is your first time coming to Toronto for a match, our Toronto match-day guide also covers transport and facilities around the stadium.
A final reminder: this incident involves judicial proceedings and immigration discretion, so if there is a reconsideration, a TRP grant or a new official statement down the line, the situation could change. Partey’s criminal case in the United Kingdom is itself still ongoing and he continues to plead not guilty; this article makes no prejudgement of the charges against him. The player’s actual availability, his visa progress and the match arrangements should all be taken solely from the official announcements of the Ghana Football Association, the Canadian immigration authorities and FIFA.
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