Thomas Partey has been barred from entering Canada, preventing the Ghana midfielder from travelling to Toronto for his country's FIFA World Cup 2026 opener against Panama on Thursday.

FIFA confirmed that Partey could not make the journey from Ghana's training base in Boston, USA, after his visa application was rejected. In a statement, the governing body said:

"FIFA is not involved in the immigration processes of host countries, including the adjudication of visas. As with previous FIFA events, the host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and is admitted into the country."

England fixture still on

Despite missing the Panama match, Partey, 32, remains eligible to feature in Ghana's second Group L fixture — a highly anticipated clash with England in Boston on Tuesday June 23. Ghana's third and final group game follows on June 27 against Croatia in Philadelphia, USA.

Legal proceedings

Partey, who moved from Arsenal to Villarreal in June 2025, is currently on bail facing allegations of rape and sexual assault brought by four women, relating to incidents alleged to have occurred between 2020 and 2022. He denies all charges.

The former Arsenal midfielder was charged in July 2025 with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault covering incidents in 2021 and 2022. In February 2026, prosecutors added two further rape charges stemming from an alleged incident in December 2020, bringing the total to seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. Partey has appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to all charges.

A bail condition prohibits him from contacting the alleged victims. The next scheduled court hearing falls on October 2, 2026, with the full trial set to begin on June 8, 2027.

Partey originally joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in 2020 in a deal worth around £45 million.