Partey's Canada visa appeal fails, ruling him out of Ghana's World Cup opener against Panama

Thomas Partey will not feature for Ghana in their World Cup 2026 Group L opener against Panama at BMO Field in Toronto on Wednesday, after a Canadian federal court dismissed his appeal against a visa refusal on Tuesday.

Partey’s initial application for a temporary resident visa was rejected on the grounds that it claimed he had not committed a criminal offence, nor been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of one. A letter from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), sent on 25 May, raised concerns about whether the application had met the requirement to “answer truthfully.” The federal court, in dismissing the appeal, noted that Partey’s response and his affidavit “fail to acknowledge, let alone explain why this material information was missing in his application.”

The 33-year-old is currently awaiting trial in 2027 on seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault involving four different women. The alleged offences are said to have taken place between 2020 and 2022. Partey, a former Arsenal midfielder, denies all charges and has pleaded not guilty.

By selecting Partey for the squad despite the visa uncertainty, Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz has limited his available players to 25 for the Panama match. The Black Stars will return to a full complement for their remaining group fixtures against England and Croatia.

Queiroz, who succeeded Otto Addo after Addo was sacked in March, has been unequivocal in his support for the player. “If the player is here with me, my answer is clear,” he said. “This is not for me or you to make a judgement about. Let the events run their normal course; let the river flow and one day when the river meets the ocean we are going to find the truth.”

Partey is already based in the United States, where Ghana have established their World Cup camp, having encountered no issues entering the country. Ghana’s remaining group games will be played at Gillette Stadium and Lincoln Financial Field. Should they finish second in Group L, they would return to Toronto for the round of 32, while a third-place finish could see them travel to Vancouver for the round of 16.

Arsenal faced criticism for continuing to field Partey before he departed for Villarreal on a free transfer last summer. The Ghana Football Association has consistently backed the midfielder throughout the legal proceedings.