Thomas Partey will make his first appearance in the 2026 World Cup when Ghana play against England on Tuesday. Partey was refused entry to Canada forcing him to miss Ghana’s opening match in Toronto, and he could be booed by spectators when he finally takes to the field in Boston.
The former ******* nal midfielder has been charged with seven counts of rape and one count of ******* ual ******* ault by London’s Metropolitan Police and is awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Ghana played Panama in their first game of the tournament, winning 1-0. The team and staff members travelled over the US-Canada border from their base in Rhode Island, but Partey was denied a visa and stayed behind.
Under Canadian law, foreign nationals can be found inadmissible ⁠even without a conviction. Court documents also revealed that Partey’s application for a temporary resident visa, submitted in May, did not disclose his criminal charges, falsely answering “no” to a question about whether he had “ever committed, been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any criminal offence in any country”.
Partey’s lawyers sought an emergency appeal, which was rejected by the Federal Court in Ottawa.