Thomas Partey to miss Ghana's 2026 World Cup opener against Panama after visa appeal to enter Canada is rejected

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Thomas Partey will not feature for Ghana in their opening 2026 World Cup game against Panama after having his Canadian visa appeal rejected.

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Former Arsenal midfielder Partey was denied entry into Canada, where Ghana play their first game in Toronto at 00:00 UK time Thursday, after being refused a visa.

Partey was charged with two counts of rape earlier this year following his arrest by the Metropolitan Police.

He was also charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in July 2025, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

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A Canadian court heard Partey’s appeal on Tuesday morning, a day before Ghana face Panama, and it was dismissed later in the day.

According to Reuters, judge Roger Lafreniere wrote that Partey had sought ”extraordinary, mandatory interlocutory relief” that would have required Canada to set aside a ”lawfully rendered inadmissibility finding and facilitate his entry for a specific event”.

A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada added: "When there are reasonable grounds to believe an act that would trigger inadmissibility has been committed by an applicant, ⁠they can be deemed inadmissible to Canada."

Partey, 33, arrived in Washington DC on June 4 and travelled with the Ghana team to their training base in Rhode Island.

He will be eligible to play in Ghana’s Group L matches against England in Boston on June 23 and Croatia in Philadelphia on June 27 because he has a US visa.

Speaking before Partey’s appeal was heard, Ghana head coach Carlos Quieroz said: ”We have our plan settled.

"My business is to play with the cards that I have in front of me....When the decision comes, we are ready."

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