Thomas Partey will miss Ghana's opening match of the 2026 World Cup against Panama after being denied entry to Canada.
Ghana start their World Cup campaign Wednesday in Toronto, but Partey, 32, will not be present after the Canadian government denied his visa application.
Partey has been charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by London's Metropolitan Police and is awaiting trial.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. It was confirmed last month that Partey's trial on rape charges, originally set for November at Southwark Crown Court, has been pushed back to start June 8, 2027.
A statement from FIFA -- first published by The Athletic -- read: "FIFA can confirm that player Thomas Partey will be unable to travel from Ghana's team base camp in Boston, USA, to Canada for their first match against Panama on Wednesday, 17 June, as his visa application has been refused by the Canadian government.
"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."
A media spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada issued a statement to ESPN on behalf of the office's minister, Lena Diab, regarding the visa denial Friday.
"Canada is proud to be a host country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is working to facilitate a successful event while maintaining the safety and security of Canadians," the statement read.
"Canada has been consistent that hosting major events does not change Canada's immigration laws.
"Every person seeking to come to Canada is assessed individually, based on the facts available and the law that applies," the statement read.
Partey played for Arsenal from 2020 to 2025 and is currently at Villarreal. He has 57 caps for Ghana and featured in their last warmup match against Wales on June 2.
But as the team prepares to travel from its Rhode Island base to Canada, Partey will not be joining it.
Partey was traveling back to Rhode Island on Friday after his visa denial. He will be able to play June 23 when Ghana plays England in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Ghana concludes group play June 27 against Croatia in Philadelphia.
ESPN has contacted the Ghana Football Association for comment.
Partey has appeared previously in the dock to plead not guilty to all charges and is on bail during the legal proceedings, with a condition that he does not contact the individuals who reported the alleged assaults.
The next hearing in his case has been set for Oct. 2.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
