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By Amanda Castro
Associate News Editor
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Thomas Partey has been ruled out of Ghana’s FIFA World Cup opener in Toronto after being denied entry to Canada.
Ghana begins its tournament on Wednesday, and Partey is one of the team’s most experienced players. His absence forces Ghana to adjust its midfield plans and raises questions about how Canada’s admissibility rules will affect other athletes facing pending legal cases.
Sources familiar with the process told The Athletic that Partey cannot travel to Canada due to the country’s immigration restrictions, which bar entry to individuals charged with certain offenses, even if they have not been convicted. Partey, who faces charges of rape and sexual assault in the United Kingdom, denies the allegations and is awaiting trial.
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Why Partey Was Denied Entry
Canadian authorities rejected Partey’s visa application, preventing him from traveling from Ghana’s U.S. base camp in Boston to Toronto. FIFA acknowledged the refusal, noting that visa decisions rest solely with host governments.
Partey, 32, faces seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in the U.K. He has pleaded not guilty. His trial, originally set for November 2026, has been pushed to June 2027. He remains on bail under conditions that bar contact with the alleged victims, with his next hearing scheduled for October 2.
Partey has 57 caps for Ghana and played in the team’s final warm‑up match against Wales on June 2. Ghana has not commented publicly on the visa denial, and it is unclear whether he will be available for matches in the United States or Mexico, where entry rules differ.
The midfielder spent five seasons at Arsenal before joining Villarreal in 2025. His exclusion from the Toronto match marks one of the most significant lineup changes of the tournament’s opening week.
Who Is Thomas Partey?
Partey is a veteran Ghanaian midfielder whose club career spans Atlético Madrid, Arsenal, and now Villarreal. He rose through Atlético’s academy, won the Europa League and Super Cup, and appeared in a Champions League final before becoming the most expensive Ghanaian player ever when he joined Arsenal in 2020. He made more than 160 appearances for the Premier League club before moving to Spain in 2025.
Internationally, Partey has been a cornerstone of the Black Stars for nearly a decade, featuring in multiple Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2022 World Cup. He entered the 2026 tournament as vice‑captain, underscoring the significance of his absence from Ghana’s opening match.
Full List of Allegations Against Ghana's Thomas Partey
- Five rape charges from 2021–2022: Filed on July 4, 2025, involving three women. These allegations stem from incidents reported to London’s Metropolitan Police after a complaint was made in February 2022.
- One sexual assault charge tied to the same period: Brought alongside the initial rape counts and connected to the same group of complainants.
- Two additional rape charges from 2020: Added in February 2026 after a fourth woman reported non‑recent offenses. Police began investigating this separate allegation in August 2025.
Partey has pleaded not guilty to every count. His lawyer has said he has cooperated fully with investigators and will not comment further while the case proceeds.
His trial, originally set for November 2026 at Southwark Crown Court, is now expected to begin in early 2027 after the court consolidated all charges into a single proceeding.
What's Next for Ghana at the World Cup
Ghana will open its tournament without Partey for the June 17 match against Panama in Toronto. The team has been training at Bryant University in Rhode Island since arriving in Washington, D.C., on June 4. Partey remains with the squad after securing a U.S. visa, but his absence forces tactical adjustments for the opener.
The rest of Ghana’s group‑stage schedule takes place in the United States, where Partey is eligible to play. The Black Stars face England on June 23 in Foxboro, Massachusetts, and Croatia on June 27 in Philadelphia. Those matches will determine whether Ghana advances, and Partey is expected to be available unless new travel restrictions arise. His situation underscores the complexities of a World Cup hosted across multiple countries with differing immigration rules.
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