Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey is free to play against England in the World Cup tonight despite being forced to sit out his side’s opening game against Panama last week. Partey is due to stand trial at Southwark crown court next year after being charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault last year. He was charged with two additional counts of rape in February. Partey denies all the charges against him.
Why Partey missed Ghana’s first game
The 33-year-old’s absence for Ghana’s win over Panama in Toronto was because Canadian officials refused to grant the former Arsenal player permission to enter the country. After initially being rejected a visa, Partey had submitted an emergency application in an attempt to be granted entry into Canada. The appeal was heard by a judge, who sided with the original decision to block the visa request.
Court documents have subsequently shown that Partey failed to disclose the rape and sexual assault charges against him when applying to enter Canada before the start of the tournament. A statement read out in court also revealed that Partey had pledged to be supervised by Ghanaian team officials at all times during his proposed stay in Canada.
US visa allows Partey to play against England
Partey will have no such issue playing against England in Boston, however, with US officials having given him a visa to enter the country. He will also be available for selection for Ghana’s final Group L game against Croatia in Philadelphia on Saturday. But whilst Partey is free to play in the remainder of Ghana’s group stage campaign, the same issue will arise again should they qualify for the knockout stages and one of their games is scheduled to take place in Canada.
Ghana boss defends selection
Ghana boss Carlos Queiroz insisted he had no concerns over selecting Partey for the World Cup despite the serious nature of the charges against him. ‘If the player is here with me, my answer is clear,’ Queiroz said before the tournament got underway. ‘I don’t have any comments about my own decisions. He is here so what are we talking about? 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.’
England players expected to shake hands
England players are expected to shake hands with Partey after the national anthems are played this evening. The Football Association has not issued any guidance over the traditional pre-match gesture, meaning members of the England squad are free to shake his hand if they wish to do so. Partey, who played over 160 times for Arsenal between 2020 and 2025, featured alongside Three Lions stars Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice during his time in north London.
Partey’s club future
Partey joined Villarreal last year as a free agent and made over 30 appearances for the Spanish side during the 2025/26 season. He is currently without a club after Villarreal opted not to renew his contract this summer.
