Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey was denied a visa to enter Canada for their World Cup Group L opener against Panama on June 17, 2026, because of ongoing criminal charges in the UK [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The 33-year-old faces seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, charges he denies and has pleaded not guilty to [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Canadian immigration authorities refused Partey's visa citing provisions allowing refusal on reasonable grounds even without a foreign conviction. Judge Roger Lafrenière ruled that Partey failed to disclose multiple criminal charges and upheld the refusal, stating he did not meet grounds for emergency relief and granting it would have undermined the inadmissibility finding [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Partey's lawyers appealed to the Canadian Federal Court, but the appeal was rejected on June 16, the day before Ghana’s match in Toronto [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Partey’s lawyer Mackeda Bramwell said, "We trust the Canadian judicial system... and remain positive for the outcome" before the ruling [1].
Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz said the team was prepared to play the match with or without Partey and was awaiting the court's decision. "We have our plan settled. My business is to play with the cards that I have in front of me. We are waiting for a decision. When the decision comes, we are ready," Queiroz said [6]. Partey was unable to play in the 1-0 win over Panama on June 17, which featured a stoppage-time goal from Caleb Yirenkyi [7, 8]. Panama coach Thomas Christiansen lamented the loss, saying, "The result is painful, but that's because we deserved better. We were excellent in the first half - we controlled Ghana. It is a cruel way to lose a game" [7].
Partey was able to join the Ghana squad for subsequent World Cup matches in the United States, entering through Boston and Philadelphia without visa issues [2, 3, 5]. The refusal angered and frustrated Ghanaian fans both in Ghana and the Canadian Ghanaian diaspora. Akua Mensah, a Canadian with Ghanaian roots, called the decision "unfortunate" [1, 9, 4, 5].
The Canadian Federal Court’s denial of Partey’s appeal on June 16 confirmed he will miss Ghana’s matches on Canadian soil during the World Cup group stage [2, 3, 4, 5].
