FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32 (Matches 80-88)

1 July 2026

England – Congo DR
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh JOR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammad Al-Kalaf JOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Al-Roalle JOR
Fourth Official: Khalid Al-Turais KSA
Reserve AR: Mohammed Al-Abakry KSA
VAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT
AVAR: Mohammed Obaid UAE
SVAR: Joe Dickerson USA

Belgium – Senegal
Referee: Said Martinez HON
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez HON
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramierz HON
Fourth Official: Andrés Rojas COL
Reserve AR: Alexander Guzman COL
VAR: Guillermo Pacheco MEX
AVAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA
SVAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP

USA – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Raphael Claus BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Rodrigo Figueiredo BRA
Fourth Official: Dario Herrera ARG
Reserve AR: Cristian Navarro ARG
VAR: Juan Soto VEN
AVAR: Nicolas Gallo COL
SVAR: Jerome Brisard FRA

2 July 2026
Spain – Austria
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Dahane Beida MTN
Reserve AR: Elvis Noupue CMR
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
AVAR: Fedayi San SUI
SVAR: Shaun Evans AUS

Portugal – Croatia
Referee: Espen Eskas NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Abongile Tom RSA
Reserve AR: Zakhele Siwela RSA
VAR: Jarred Gillett ENG
AVAR: Dennis Higler NED
SVAR: Marco Di Bello ITA

Switzerland – Algeria
Referee: Yael Falcon ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Masimiliano Del Yesso ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Facundo Rodriguez ARG
Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega PER
Reserve AR: Michael Orue PER
VAR: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG
AVAR: Erick Miranda MEX
SVAR: Juan Lara CHI

Australia – Egypt
Referee: Gustavo Tejera URU
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro URU
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Taran URU
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve AR: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
VAR: Leodan Gonzalez URU
AVAR: Antonio Garcia URU
SVAR: Bastian Dankert GER

Argentina – Cabo Verde
Referee: Drew Fischer CAN
Assistant Referee 1: Micheal Barwegen CAN
Assistant Referee 2: Lyes Arfa CAN
Fourth Official: Katia Garcia MEX
Reserve AR: Sandra Ramirez MEX
VAR: Armando Villarreal USA
AVAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
SVAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA

Colombia – Ghana
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès FRA
Fourth Official: Alejandro Hernández Hernández ESP
Reserve AR: José Naranjo Pérez ESP
VAR: Jerom Brisard FRA
AVAR: Willy Delajod FRA
SVAR: Fu Ming CHN

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32 (Matches 73-79)

28 June 2026

South Africa – Canada
Referee: João Pinheiro POR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus POR
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia POR
Fourth Official: Omar Al-Ali UAE
Reserve AR: Mohamed Al-Hammadi UAE
VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
AVAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA
SVAR: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG

29 June 2026
Brazil – Japan
Referee: Maurizio Mariani ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni ITA
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve AR: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
AVAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
SVAR: Joe Dickerson USA

Germany – Paraguay
Referee: Jalal Jayed MAR
Assistant Referee 1: Zakaria Brinsi MAR
Assistant Referee 2: Mostafa Akarkad MAR
Fourth Official: Ma Ning CHN
Reserve AR: Zhou Fei CHN
VAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA
AVAR: Hamza El-Fariq MAR
SVAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA

Netherlands – Morocco
Referee: Wilton Sampaio BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Pires BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Boschilia BRA
Fourth Official: Cristian Garay CHI
Reserve AR: José Retamal CHI
VAR: Nicolas Gallo COL
AVAR: Leodan Gonzalez URU
SVAR: Armando Villarreal USA

30 June 2026
Cote d’Ivoire – Norway
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela VEN
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego VEN
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno VEN
Fourth Official: Juan Benitez
Reserve AR: Eduardo Cardozo PAR
VAR: Juan Lara CHI
AVAR: Juan Soto VEN
SVAR: Jarred Gillett ENG

France – Sweden
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan De Vries NED
Fourth Official: Tori Penso USA
Reserve AR: Brooke Mayo USA
VAR: Dennis Higler NED
AVAR: Bram Van Driessche BEL
SVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL

Mexico – Ecuador
Referee: Slavko Vinčić SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič SVN
Fourth Official: Mustapha Ghorbal ALG
Reserve AR: Mokrane Gourari ALG
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER 

AVAR: Willy Delajod FRA
SVAR: Mahmoud Ashour EGY

UEFA appoints Stéphanie Frappart as Refereeing Officer

The UEFA Executive Committee has appointed Stéphanie Frappart to the position of Refereeing Officer on the UEFA Referees Committee.

Frappart has built one of the most prominent refereeing careers in the modern game. An international referee since 2010, she has officiated more than 100 UEFA matches during a career marked by consistency, professionalism and a series of landmark appointments, including the 2019 UEFA Super Cup between Liverpool and Chelsea in Istanbul, when she became the first female official to oversee a UEFA men's title match. She was also the first woman to referee a men's Ligue 1 match, a men's UEFA Champions League match, and a men's FIFA World Cup match, further underlining her status among sport's most accomplished officials. In her new role, Frappart will contribute to the strategic development of refereeing across Europe, supporting UEFA's work in referee appointments, performance monitoring, technical guidance and the continued development of match officials for UEFA competitions. UEFA would like to thank departing Refereeing Officer Dagmar Damková for her significant contribution to elite refereeing over the years. Her dedication, expertise and service have been greatly valued and appreciated.

Source: UEFA

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group Stage (Matches 49-72)

Scotland – Brazil

Referee: César Ramos MEX (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin MEX
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Bisguerra MEX
Fourth Official: Espen Eskas NOR
Reserve AR: Jan Engan NOR
VAR: Guillermo Pacheco MEX
AVAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA
SVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL

Morocco – Haiti
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Joao Pinheiro POR
Reserve AR: Bruno Jesus POR
VAR: Dennis Higler NED
AVAR: Fedayi San SUI
SVAR: Bram Van Driessche BEL

Switzerland – Canada
Referee: Ramon Abatti BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Alves BRA
Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega PER
Reserve AR: Michael Orue PER
VAR: Juan Soto VEN
AVAR: Antonio Garcia URU
SVAR: Jarred Gillett ENG

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Qatar
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela VEN
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego VEN
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno VEN
Fourth Official: Yusuke Araki JPN
Reserve AR: Jun Mihara JPN
VAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA
AVAR: Leodan Gonzalez URU
SVAR: Shaun Evans AUS

Czechia – Mexico
Referee: Yael Falcon ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Maximiliano Del Yesso ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Facundo Rodriguez ARG
Fourth Official: Cristian Garay CHI
Reserve AR: José Retamal CHI
VAR: Juan Lara CHI
AVAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA
SVAR: Ivan Bebek CRO

South Africa – Korea
Referee: Facundo Tello ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade ARG
Fourth Official: Andrés Rojas COL
Reserve AR: Alexander Guzman COL
VAR: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG
AVAR: Nicolas Gallo COL
SVAR: Bastian Dankert GER

Curacao – Cote d’Ivoire
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve AR: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
AVAR: Leodan Gonzalez URU
SVAR: Juan Soto VEN

Ecuador – Germany
Referee: Tori Penso USA
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt USA
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Isaac Trevis NZL
VAR: Joe Dickerson USA
AVAR: Fu Ming CHN
SVAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT

Japan – Sweden
Referee: Ivan Barton SLV
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran SLV
Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Pupiro NCA
Fourth Official: Dahane Beida MTN
Reserve AR: Jerson Dos Santos ANG
VAR: Nicolas Gallo COL
AVAR: Guillermo Pacheco MEX
SVAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA

Tunisia – Netherlands
Referee: Katia Garcia MEX
Assistant Referee 1: Sandra Ramirez MEX
Assistant Referee 2: José Naranjo Pérez ESP
Fourth Official: Juan Benitez PAR
Reserve AR: Milciades Saldivar PAR
VAR: Erick Miranda MEX
AVAR: Mohammed Obaid UAE
SVAR: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG

Türkiye – USA
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal ALG
Assistant Referee 1: Mokrane Gourari ALG
Assistant Referee 2: Abbes Zerhoun ALG
Fourth Official: Omar Al-Ali UAE
Reserve AR: Mohammed Al-Hammadi UAE
VAR: Antonio Garcia URU
AVAR: Mahmoud Ashour EGY
SVAR: Juan Lara CHI

Paraguay – Australia
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès FRA
Fourth Official: Oshane Nation JAM
Reserve AR: Caleb Wales TRI
VAR: Jérôme Brisard FRA
AVAR: Willy Delajod FRA
SVAR: Hamza El-Fariq MAR

Norway – France
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: James Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Ma Ning CHN
Reserve AR: Zhou Fei CHN
VAR: Jarred Gillett FRA
AVAR: Bram Van Driessche BEL
SVAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA

Senegal – Iraq
Referee: Anthony Taylor ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn ENG
Fourth Official: Khalid Al-Turais KSA
Reserve AR: Mohammed Al-Abakry KSA
VAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
AVAR: Fedayi San SUI
SVAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP

Egypt – Iran
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Yusuke Araki JPN
Reserve AR: Jun Mihara JPN
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
AVAR: Dennis Higler NED
SVAR: Shaun Evans AUS

New Zealand – Belgium
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh JOR
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammad Al-Kalaf JOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Al-Roalle JOR
Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega PER
Reserve AR: Michael Orue PER
VAR: Juan Soto VEN
AVAR: Erick Miranda MEX
SVAR: Antonio Garcia URU

Cabo Verde – Saudi Arabia
Referee: François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Abongile Tom RSA
Reserve AR: Zakhele Siwela RSA
VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
AVAR: Willy Delajod FRA
SVAR: Joe Dickerson USA

Uruguay – Spain
Referee: Ismail Elfath USA
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins USA
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR: Juan Mora CRC
VAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA
AVAR: Armando Villarreal USA
SVAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT

Panama – England
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim QAT
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al-Marri QAT
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al-Maqaleh QAT
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve AR: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
VAR: Juan Lara CHI
AVAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT
SVAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA

Croatia – Ghana
Referee: Drew Fischer CAN
Assistant Referee 1: Micheal Barwegen CAN
Assistant Referee 2: Lyes Arfa CAN
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Isaac Trevis NZL
VAR: Guillermo Pacheco MEX
AVAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA
SVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL

Algeria – Austria
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev UZB
Assistant Referee 1: Andrey Tsapenko UZB
Assistant Referee 2: Timur Gaynullin UZB
Fourth Official: Katia Garcia MEX
Reserve AR: Sandra Ramirez MEX
VAR: Leodan Gonzalez URU
AVAR: Shaun Evans AUS
SVAR: Armando Villarreal USA

Jordan – Argentina
Referee: Istvan Kovacs ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marica ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi ROU
Fourth Official: Dahane Beida MTN
Reserve AR: Jerson Dos Santos ANG
VAR: Bram Van Driessche BEL
AVAR: Fedayi San SUI
SVAR: Marco Di Bello ITA

Colombia – Portugal
Referee: Alireza Faghani AUS
Assistant Referee 1: Georga Lakrindis AUS
Assistant Referee 2: Andrew Lindsay AUS
Fourth Official: Said Martinez HON
Reserve AR: Walter Lopez HON
VAR: Jerome Brisard FRA
AVAR: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG
SVAR: Mahmoud Ashour EGY

Congo DR – Uzbekistan
Referee: Felix Zwayer GER
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempter GER
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Dietz GER
Fourth Official: Alejandro Hernández Hernández ESP
Reserve AR: Diego Sánchez Rojo ESP
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER
AVAR: Dennis Higler NED
SVAR: Jarred Gillett ENG

Romanian Kovacs handed honour of refereeing landmark Match 1,000

FIFA has appointed Romanian referee István Kovács to take charge of the 1,000th match in the history of the FIFA World Cup – the Group F encounter between Tunisia and Japan at Monterrey Stadium on 20 June. Kovács will be assisted by compatriots Ferencz Tunyogi and Mihai Marica, with Costa Ricans Juan Calderón and Juan Carlos Mora serving as fourth official and reserve assistant referee, for one of the landmark fixtures in the tournament’s long and storied history.

FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer and Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina said the appointment, while a special honour, was based purely on the regular criteria applied to pick the best official for the game. “We selected the referee that we think is the best referee for this match. And of course, by coincidence, he is also appointed for the 1,000th match. So, for him, it is something extra – something special on top. Refereeing a FIFA World Cup match is always a huge privilege, it’s a great honour,” said the Italian, himself a former referee who officiated the FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany in 2002 during an illustrious career. “Certainly, becoming part of the history of football – part of the history of the FIFA World Cup, being appointed to and being on the field of play to officiate the match number 1,000 is definitely something extra. We decided to create a special match kit to celebrate this match and it’s a nice one with some golden details; stripes and a patch with the trophy and the number 1,000 on it,” added Collina.

The special adidas shirt, presented to István Kovács in front of the rest of his Team One colleagues, features gold stripes down the sleeves and a ‘Match 1000’ patch. It will also be worn by assistant referees Tunyogi and Marica at Monterrey Stadium.

The 41-year-old Kovács has established himself as one of Europe’s foremost referees. He was part of the match officials panel at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 where he served as fourth official across eight fixtures. His appointment to Match 1,000 at FIFA World Cup 2026 marks his first match as a referee at a FIFA World Cup.

Source: FIFA

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group Stage (Matches 29-48)

19 June 2026

USA – Australia
Referee: Felix Zwayer GER (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempter GER
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Dietz GER
Fourth Official: Katia Garcia MEX
Reserve AR: Sandra Ramirez MEX
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER
AVAR: Hamza El Fariq MAR
SVAR: Bram Van Driessche BEL

Scotland – Morocco
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev UZB
Assistant Referee 1: Andrey Tsapenko UZB
Assistant Referee 2: Timur Gaynullin UZB
Fourth Official: Adham Makhadmeh JOR
Reserve AR: Mohammed Al-Kalaf JOR
VAR: Armando Villarreal USA
AVAR: Erick Miranda MEX
SVAR: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG

Brazil – Haiti
Referee: Alejandro Hernández Hernández ESP
Assistant Referee 1: José Naranjo Pérez ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sánchez Rojo ESP
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve AR: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
AVAR: Willy Delajod FRA
SVAR: Mahmoud Ashour EGY

Türkiye – Paraguay
Referee: Ivan Barton SLV
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran SLV
Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Pupiro SLV
Fourth Official: Oshane Nation JAM
Reserve AR: Caleb Wales TRI 

VAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT
AVAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA
SVAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA

Germany – Cote d’Ivoire
Referee: Juan Benitez PAR
Assistant Referee 1: Eduardo Cardozo PAR
Assistant Referee 2: Milciades Saldivar PAR
Fourth Official: Khalid Al-Turais KSA
Reserve AR: Mohammed Al-Abakry KSA
VAR: Antonio Garcia URU
AVAR: Guillermo Pacheco MEX
SVAR: Juan Soto VEN

Ecuador – Curacao
Referee: Ma Ning CHN
Assistant Referee 1: Zhou Fei CHN
Assistant Referee 2: Saud Al-Maqaleh QAT
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Isaac Trevis NZL
VAR: Fu Ming CHN
AVAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
SVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL

Netherlands – Sweden
Referee: Michael Oliver ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Jamen Mainwaring ENG
Fourth Official: Abongile Tom RSA
Reserve AR: Zakhele Siwela RSA
VAR: Jarred Gillett ENG
AVAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
SVAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA

Tunisia – Japan
Referee: Istvan Kovacs ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marica ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi ROU
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR: Juan Mora CRC
VAR: Fedayi San SUI
AVAR: Joe Dickerson USA
SVAR: Bastian Dankert GER

Uruguay – Cabo Verde
Referee: Espen Eskas NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Tori Penso USA
Reserve AR: Brooke Mayo USA
VAR: Willy Delajod FRA
AVAR: Jérôme Brisard FRA
SVAR: Dennis Higler NED

Spain – Saudi Arabia
Referee: Raphael Claus BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Rodrigo Figueiredo BRA
Fourth Official: Andrés Rojas COL
Reserve AR: Alexander Guzman COL
VAR: Nicolas Gallo COL
AVAR: Erik Miranda MEX
SVAR: Guillermo Pacheco MEX

Belgium – Iran
Referee: Dario Herrera ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Navarro ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade ARG
Fourth Official: Yusuke Araki JPN
Reserve AR: Jun Mihara JPN
VAR: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG
AVAR: Leodan González URU
SVAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP

New Zealand – Egypt
Referee: Omar Al-Ali UAE
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Al-Hammadi UAE
Assistant Referee 2: Taleb Al-Marri QAT
Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega PER
Reserve AR: Michael Orue PER
VAR: Mohammed Obaid UAE
AVAR: Shaun Evans AUS
SVAR: Armando Villarreal USA

Norway – Senegal
Referee: Wilton Sampaio BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Pires BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Boschilia BRA
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Isaac Trevis NZL
VAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA
AVAR: Juan Lara CHI
SVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL

France – Iraq
Referee: Drew Fischer CAN
Assistant Referee 1: Micheal Barwegen CAN
Assistant Referee 2: Lyes Arfa CAN
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve AR: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
VAR: Joe Dickerson USA
AVAR: Antonio Garcia MEX
SVAR: Juan Soto VEN

Argentina – Austria
Referee: Amin Omar EGY
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud El-Regal EGY
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmed Hossam EGY
Fourth Official: Alejandro Hernández Hernández ESP
Reserve AR: Diego Sánchez Rojo ESP
VAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT
AVAR: Mahmoud Ashour EGY
SVAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA

Jordan – Algeria
Referee: Slavko Vinčić SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič SVN
Fourth Official: Oshane Nation JAM
Reserve AR: Caleb Wales TRI
VAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
AVAR: Jarred Gillett ENG
SVAR: Bram Van Driessche BEL

England – Ghana
Referee: Said Martinez HON
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez HON
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez HON
Fourth Official: Ma Ning CHN
Reserve AR: Zhou Fei CHN
VAR: Armando Villarreal USA
AVAR: Erick Miranda MEX
SVAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA

Panama – Croatia
Referee: Pierre Atcho GAB
Assistant Referee 1: Boris Ditsoga GAB
Assistant Referee 2: Amos Abeigne GAB
Fourth Official: Khalid Al-Turais KSA
Reserve AR: Mohammed Al-Abakry KSA
VAR: Nicolas Gallo COL
AVAR: Fu Ming CHN
SVAR: Bastian Dankert GER

Portugal – Uzbekistan
Referee: Jalal Jayed MAR
Assistant Referee 1: Zakaria Brinsi MAR
Assistant Referee 2: Mostafa Akarkad MAR
Fourth Official: Abongile Tom RSA
Reserve AR: Zakhele Siwela RSA
VAR: Leodan Gonzaklez URU
AVAR: Hamza El-Fariq MAR
SVAR: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG

Colombia – Congo DR
Referee: Maurizio Mariani ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni ITA
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR: Juan Mora CRC
VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
AVAR: Mohammed Obaid UAE
SVAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group Stage (Matches 25-28)

18 June 2026

Czechia – South Africa
Referee: Tori Penso USA (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt USA
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Isaac Trevis NZL
VAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA
AVAR: Joe Dickerson USA
SVAR: Mohammed Obaid UAE

Switzerland – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Joao Pinheiro POR
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus POR
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia POR
Fourth Official: Yusuke Araki JPN
Reserve AR: Jun Mihara JPN
VAR: Dennis Higler NED
AVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
SVAR: Fu Ming CHN

Canada – Qatar
Referee: Christian Garay CHI
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Retamal CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Rocha CHI
Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega PER
Reserve AR: Michael Orue PER
VAR: Juan Lara CHI
AVAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA
SVAR: Nicolas Gallo COL

Mexico – Korea
Referee: Gustavo Tejera URU
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro URU
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Taran URU
Fourth Official: Andres Rojas COL
Reserve AR: Alexander Guzman COL
VAR: Leodan Gonzalez URU
AVAR: Antonio Garcia URU
SVAR: Jérôme Brisard FRA

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group Stage (Matches 21-24)

17 June 2026

England – Croatia
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès FRA
Fourth Official: Katia Garcia MEX
Reserve AR: Sandra Ramirez MEX
VAR: Jérôme Brisard FRA
AVAR: Willy Delajod FRA
SVAR: Fedayi San SUI

Portugal – Congo DR
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim QAT
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Al-Marri QAT
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Al-Maqaleh QAT
Fourth Official: Abongile Tom RSA
Reserve AR: Zakhele Siwela RSA
VAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT
AVAR: Juan Soto VEN
SVAR: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG

Ghana – Panama
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Khalid Al-Turais KSA
Reserve AR: Mohammed Al-Abakry KSA
VAR: Bram Van Driessche BEL
AVAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
SVAR: Bastian Dankert GER

Uzbekistan – Colombia
Referee: Anthony Taylor ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn ENG
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR: Juan Carlos Mora CRC
VAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
AVAR: Jarred Gillett ENG
SVAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group Stage (Matches 17-20)

16 June 2026

France – Senegal
Referee: Alireza Faghani AUS (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: George Lakrindis AUS
Assistant Referee 2: James Lindsay AUS
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve AR: Stephane De Almeida SUI
VAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA
AVAR: Armando Villarreal USA
SVAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA

Iraq – Norway
Referee: Pierre Atcho GAB
Assistant Referee 1: Boris Ditsoga GAB
Assistant Referee 2: Amos Abeigne GAB
Fourth Official: Amin Omar EGY
Reserve AR: Mahmoud El-Regal EGY
VAR: Guillermo Pacheco MEX
AVAR: Hamza El-Fariq MAR
SVAR: Jarred Gillett ENG

Argentina – Algeria
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Isaac Trevis NZL
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
AVAR: Dennis Higler NED
SVAR: Mohammed Obaid UAE

Austria – Jordan
Referee: Dahane Beida MTN
Assistant Referee 1: Jerson Dos Santos ANG
Assistant Referee 2: Elvis Noupue CMR
Fourth Official: Oshane Nation JAM
Reserve AR: Caleb Wales TRI
VAR: Mahmoud Ashour EGY
AVAR: Nicolas Gallo COL
SVAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA

Four World Cups for match officials Faghani and Belatti

Referee Alireza Faghani (Iran/Australia) and assistant referee Juan Belatti (Argentina) are making history at the FIFA World Cup 2026 by being the first match officials appointed to four (4) men's World Cups.

Alireza Faghani

- FIFA World Cup 2014 (Brazil): support referee

- FIFA World Cup 2018 (Russia): referee (4 matches)

- FIFA World Cup 2022 (Qatar): referee (2 matches)

- FIFA World Cup 2026 (Canada, Mexico, USA): referee

Juan Belatti

- FIFA World Cup 2014 (Brazil): assistant referee (Nestor Pitana)

- FIFA World Cup 2018 (Russia): assistant referee (Nestor Pitana)

- FIFA World Cup 2022 (Qatar): assistant referee (Fernando Rapallini)

- FIFA World Cup 2026 (Canada, Mexico, USA): assistant referee (Facundo Tello)

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group Stage (Matches 13-16)

15 June 2026

Spain – Cabo Verde
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh JOR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mohammad Al-Kalaf JOR
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmad Al-Roalle JOR
Fourth Official: Andres Rojas COL
Reserve AR: Alexander Guzman COL
VAR: Joe Dickerson USA
AVAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT
SVAR: Fu Ming CHN

Belgium – Egypt
Referee: Ramon Abatti BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Alves BRA
Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega PER
Reserve AR: Michael Orue PER
VAR: Juan Soto VEN
AVAR: Leodan Gonzalez URU
SVAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP

Saudi Arabia – Uruguay
Referee: Maurizio Mariani ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni ITA
Fourth Official: Drew Fischer CAN
Reserve AR: Michael Barwegen CAN
VAR: Marco Di Bello ITA
AVAR: Ivan Bebek CRO
SVAR: Jérôme Brisard FRA

Iran – New Zealand
Referee: Cesar Ramos MEX
Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin MEX
Assistant Referee 2: Marco Bisguerra MEX
Fourth Official: Yusuke Araki JPN
Reserve AR: Jun Mihara JPN
VAR: Erick Miranda MEX
AVAR: Fedayi San SUI
SVAR: Bastian Dankert GER

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group Stage (Matches 9-12)

14 June 2026

Germany – Curacao
Referee: Jalal Jayed MAR (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Zakaria Brinsi MAR
Assistant Referee 2: Mostafa Akarkad MAR
Fourth Official: Abongile Tom RSA
Reserve AR: Zakhele Siwela RSA
VAR: Hamza El-Fariq MAR
AVAR: Nicolas Gallo COL
SVAR: Shaun Evans AUS

Netherlands – Japan
Referee: Ismail Elfath USA
Assistant Referee 1: Corey Parker USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kyle Atkins USA
Fourth Official: Katia Garcia MEX
Reserve AR: Sandra Ramirez MEX
VAR: Armando Villarreal USA
AVAR: Rodolpho Toski BRA
SVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL

Cote d’Ivoire – Ecuador
Referee: Francois Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Khalid Al-Turais KSA
Reserve AR: Mohammed Al-Abakry KSA
VAR: Jarred Gillett ENG
AVAR: Willy Delajod FRA
SVAR: Bram Van Driessche BEL

Sweden – Tunisia
Referee: Yael Falcon ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Maximiliano Del Yesso ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Facundo Rodriguez ARG
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR: Juan Mora CRC
VAR: Juan Lara CHI
AVAR: Antonio Garcia URU
SVAR: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG

Top African referee Omar Artan to officiate 2026 UEFA Super Cup after being unable to participate in FIFA World Cup 2026

Following discussions with its sister confederation, Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), UEFA has today appointed Somali referee Omar Artan to officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup, which will take place on 12 August in Salzburg between UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Europa League winners Aston Villa FC.

Despite his young age, Artan has established himself as one of the world’s top referees and has been on the FIFA international list since 2018. Among the most notable matches he has officiated is the second leg of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League final. In recognition of his performances, he received the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year Award 2025. Artan had been included by FIFA in the match officials’ list for the FIFA World Cup 2026 but could not participate as he was not allowed to enter the United States.

The decision to appoint Artan to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match has been made in the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) recently signed between UEFA and CAF to encourage cooperation in many areas, including refereeing. UEFA and CAF are united by a shared commitment to developing football at all levels and promoting the core values of unity, equality and non-discrimination.

Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA president, said: “Omar Artan is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football. Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination. I am grateful to my friend CAF President Patrice Motsepe for supporting enthusiastically our initiative.”

Dr. Patrice Motsepe, CAF president, said: “Omar Artan has made Somalia and the entire people of the African Continent, extremely proud. His receipt of the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year Award 2025 and his appointment as a referee of the FIFA World Cup 2026 are a recognition of his world-class refereeing ability and the international respect that he enjoys. I am very thankful to my friend, Aleksander Čeferin for enabling Omar Artan to officiate the UEFA Super Cup 2026 match. This is a great honour for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football, bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide.”

Source: UEFA

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group Stage (Matches 5-8)

13 June 2026

Brazil – Morocco
Referee: Slavko Vinčić SVN (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič SVN
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve AR: Stephane De Almeida SUI
VAR: Bastian Dankert GER
AVAR: Willy Delajod FRA
SVAR: Ivan Bebek CRO

Qatar – Switzerland
Referee: Said Martinez HON
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez HON
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez HON
Fourth Official: Oshane Nation JAM
Reserve AR: Caleb Wales TRI
VAR: Guillermo Pacheco MEX
AVAR: Erick Miranda MEX
SVAR: Leodan Gonzalez URU

Haiti – Scotland
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal ALG
Assistant Referee 1: Mokrane Gourari ALG
Assistant Referee 2: Abbes Zerhouni ALG
Fourth Official: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez ESP
Reserve AR: Jose Naranjo Perez ESP
VAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri KSA
AVAR: Mohammed Obaid UAE
SVAR: Fedayi San SUI

Australia – Türkiye
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela VEN
Assistant Referee 1: Jorge Urrego VEN
Assistant Referee 2: Tulio Moreno VEN
Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega PER
Reserve AR: Michael Orue PER 

VAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA
AVAR: Juan Soto VEN
SVAR: Fu Ming CHN

Referee fees for FIFA World Cup 2026

According to online sources, all referees selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will receive large financial compensation. Each match official (Referee, Assistant Referee, Video Match Official, Fourth Official, Reserve AR) will be paid a participation bonus plus match fees. 

Match Fees

Referees: $2,000/match

Assistant Referees: $1,000/match

Participation Bonus

Referees: $50,000

Assistant Referees: $40,000

*Additional bonuses will be paid for knock-out stage and final roles.

World Cup referee Artan interviewed for 11 hours at Miami airport

Speaking for the first time since he was denied entry to the United States, Mr. Artan told The New York Times that officiating a World Cup game would have been a symbol for all Somalis of what they could achieve in spite of their country’s difficulties. “I am very, very disappointed,” Mr. Artan said in a telephone interview from Istanbul, the city he had been flown to after he was refused entry. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.” Mr. Artan flew to Miami International Airport on Saturday, five days before the first game of the tournament, on Thursday, but was prevented from entering the United States by border officials, who took him aside and questioned him in a small room overnight. “I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” Mr. Artan said, adding that he had also showed documentation from FIFA as well as photographs of his career of over a decade as a professional referee. Border officials also checked online material detailing Mr. Artan’s career, he said. He was named referee of the year in 2025 by the Confederation of African Football, which governs soccer in Africa.

The immigration interview ended after 11 hours, Mr. Artan said, and he was then taken to a separate holding cell where he was detained for several further hours before being put on a flight back to Istanbul. In the interview, Mr. Artan recounted his journey to the United States, which he said had begun last week in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, where he waited to secure travel papers. Once the documents arrived, he flew to Istanbul before catching a connecting flight to Miami ahead of a pretournament meeting of FIFA referees in the city. Mr. Artan said that border officials had asked him why he had come to the United States and about politics in Somalia. Those questions, Mr. Artan said, included many about the militant group Al Shabab, which controls parts of Somalia and which has fought a yearslong insurgency against the government. He said that officials did not give him a reason for refusing him entry. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that decisions were made on a case-by-case basis and did not provide details about why Mr. Artan had been denied entry. “The traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of C.B.P.’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility,” the statement said. “Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry.” Mr. Artan said, “I think that they have a problem with my country,” adding that he would return to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday. He said that he had been preparing for the World Cup for four years, taking courses with FIFA in Qatar and in the United Arab Emirates. The US administration has imposed severe travel and visa restrictions on Somalia, a country in East Africa, and it was not clear whether FIFA had sought clearance for Mr. Artan to enter the United States. FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment but confirmed in a statement that Mr. Artan would not be able to officiate at the World Cup. “FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr. Artan’s status will not be changed at present,” the statement said.

Source: New York Times

Ricci returns to Brazil to lead the Referees Committee

Sandro Ricci is leaving his role as PRO’s Manager of Senior Match Officials later this month to join Confederação Brasileira de Futebol’s (CBF) Refereeing Commission as president. CBF set up an organization similar to PRO in April, and Ricci returns to his homeland to manage the next stage of the development program to professionalize Brazilian referees.

Ricci said: “I am incredibly grateful for my time at PRO. The opportunity to learn, grow, and collaborate with exceptional professionals has been a privilege. The experiences and lessons from the past three years have shaped me both personally and professionally, and will serve me well in the next chapter of my career. My sincere thanks go to everyone who has been part of this journey. The relationships I’ve gained along the way are something I will always value.” Mark Geiger, PRO’s General Manager, said: “We wish Sandro every success in his new role and thank him for his dedication, passion, and commitment to improving standards at PRO over the past three years. His expertise, insight, and willingness to share knowledge have had a lasting impact on our officials and the wider organization.”

Source: PRO

FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group Stage (Matches 1-4)

11 June 2026

Mexico – South Africa
Referee: Wilton Sampaio BRA (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Pires BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Boschilia BRA
Fourth Official: Juan Benitez PAR
Reserve AR: Eduardo Cardozo PAR
VAR: Nicolas Gallo COL
AVAR: Juan Lara CHI
SVAR: Jerome Brisard FRA

Korea – Czechia
Referee: Amin Omar EGY
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud El-Regal EGY
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmed Hossam EGY
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR: Juan Mora CRC
VAR: Mahmoud Ashour EGY
AVAR: Joe Dickerson USA
SVAR: Marco Di Bello ITA

12 June 2026
Canada – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Facundo Tello ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade ARG
Fourth Official: Khalid Al-Turais KSA
Reserve AR: Mohammed Al-Abakry KSA
VAR: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG
AVAR: Antonio Garcia URU
SVAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA

USA – Paraguay
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan De Vries NED
Fourth Official: Yusuke Araki JPN
Reserve AR: Jun Mihara JPN
VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
AVAR: Dennis Higler NED
SVAR: Khamis Al-Marri QAT

Somali referee Artan removed from World Cup after being denied entry into the USA

Omar Artan, who was set to be the first Somalian to referee at the World Cup finals, has been dropped from the list of officials after he was denied entry to the United States. Artan, the 2025 Confederation of African Football (CAF) men's referee of the year, was barred from entering the country at Miami International Airport and is currently in Turkey. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed Monday that a Somali national who was planning to referee in the World Cup had been denied entry after arriving to Miami International Airport from Istanbul on Saturday. While the CBP statement didn't mention the person by name, Artan is the only World Cup referee from Somalia. "During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP's inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility," CBP said in its statement. "Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry." CBP noted that all travelers seeking entry into the U.S. - including athletes, coaches and staff - are subject to CBP inspection and vetting. "Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection," the CBP statement said. "CBP officers have the authority to question travelers, conduct inspections, and determine admissibility consistent with U.S. law." Somalia is on the U.S. list of banned countries for immigration, although exceptions can be made.

After speaking to the US authorities, world governing body FIFA said Artan will miss the tournament. "FIFA can confirm that match official Omar Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States," read a statement. "FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr. Artan's status will not be changed at present. In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country." A senior adviser to Somalia's ministry of youth and sports confirmed the denial of entry to the BBC and said Artan had been travelling with valid documents. A Somali embassy official in Nairobi told the BBC that Artan's diplomatic passport had been issued specifically to ease his travel after earlier visa difficulties. The Somali Football Federation (SFF) has contacted FIFA seeking urgent clarification.

Speaking to BBC World Service, Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House Task Force on the World Cup, said: "While I can't go into the derog [derogatory information] on that I can tell you it was the right decision by customs and border patrol and I support that decision." Artan was among the 52 referees announced by FIFA to officiate at the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States, which runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026.

Source: ESPN

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 Qualifiers – UEFA (Matchday 6)

9 June 2026

Sweden – Italy
Referee: Iuliana Demetrescu ROU (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Bianca Florea ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Roxana Ivanov ROU
Fourth Official: Ana Terteleac ROU
Referee Observer: Olga Tanschi MDA

Serbia – Denmark
Referee: Rasa Grigone LTU
Assistant Referee 1: Irina Pozdejeva LTU
Assistant Referee 2: Ieva Ramanauskiene LTU
Fourth Official: Ilona Birgelaite LTU
Referee Observer: Gyöngyi Gaál HUN

Norway – Austria
Referee: Ivana Projkovska MKD
Assistant Referee 1: Elena Soklevska-Ilievski MKD
Assistant Referee 2: Angela Domazetovska MKD
Fourth Official: Irena Velevačkoska MKD
Referee Observer: Kateryna Monzul UKR

Slovenia – Germany
Referee: Michalina Diakow POL
Assistant Referee 1: Paulina Baranowska POL
Assistant Referee 2: Julia Bukarowicz POL
Fourth Official: Anna Adamska POL
Referee Observer: Hilda McDermott IRL

Wales – Czechia
Referee: Deborah Bianchi ITA
Assistant Referee 1: Veronica Martinelli ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Laura Gasparini ITA
Fourth Official: Maria Marotta ITA
Referee Observer: Carolina De Boeck BEL

Albania – Montenegro
Referee: Emily Heaslip ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Georgia Ball ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Leoni Harland ENG
Fourth Official: Grace Lowe ENG
Referee Observer: Emilia Wnuk POL

Northern Ireland – Switzerland
Referee: Anastasía Mylopoúlou GRE
Assistant Referee 1: Vasilía Tsiklitári GRE
Assistant Referee 2: Zoí Papadopoúlou GRE
Fourth Official: Eléni Antoníou GRE
Referee Observer: Miroslava Migalová SVK

Malta – Türkiye
Referee: Sabina Bolić CRO
Assistant Referee 1: Sanja Rodjak-Karšić CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Maja Petravić CRO
Fourth Official: Ivana Martinčić CRO
Referee Observer: Svetlana Patraș MDA

Finland – Portugal
Referee: Merima Čelik BIH
Assistant Referee 1: Merima Tanović BIH
Assistant Referee 2: Aleksandra Mostowska POL
Fourth Official: Lea Čepo BIH
Referee Observer: Graziella Pirriatore ITA

Latvia – Slovakia
Referee: Nanna Andersen DEN
Assistant Referee 1: Sidsel Dall DEN
Assistant Referee 2: Anna Schmidt DEN
Fourth Official: Frida Klarlund DEN
Referee Observer: Dilan Gökçek TUR

Luxembourg – Belgium
Referee: Aleksandra Česen SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Helena Buh SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Mediha Durić SVN
Fourth Official: Vanja Janković SVN
Referee Observer: Cheryl Foster WAL

Israel – Scotland
Referee: Karoline Jensen NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Helle Reiten NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Sandra Nigulis EST
Fourth Official: Maren Hatletvedt NOR
Referee Observer: Wendy Toms ENG

Estonia – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Referee: Michaela Pachtová CZE
Assistant Referee 1: Lucie Ratajová CZE
Assistant Referee 2: Tereza Hessová CZE
Fourth Official: Natálie Čampišová CZE
Referee Observer: Esther Staubli SUI

Lithuania – Liechtenstein
Referee: Lena Hirtl AUT
Assistant Referee 1: Amina Gutschi AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Linda Thieme AUT
Fourth Official: Fabienne Hofer AUT
Referee Observer: Ingrid Jonsson SWE

Croatia – Bulgaria
Referee: Melissa Burgin ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Isabel Chaplin ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Sophie Dennington ENG
Fourth Official: Kirsty Dowle ENG
Referee Observer: Jelena Banjeglav Rankov SRB

Gibraltar – Kosovo
Referee: Marisca Overtoom NED
Assistant Referee 1: Martina Boer NED
Assistant Referee 2: Mélissa Lejear BEL
Fourth Official: Wendy Gijsbers NED
Referee Observer: Cristina Ionescu ROU

Hungary – Andorra
Referee: Melek Dakan TUR
Assistant Referee 1: Arzu Görgün TUR
Assistant Referee 2: Merve Turan TUR
Fourth Official: Gamze Durmuş TUR
Referee Observer: Vesna Budimir CRO

North Macedonia – Azerbaijan
Referee: Teona Sturua GEO
Assistant Referee 1: Elene Eloshvili GEO
Assistant Referee 2: Sopo Tsulaia GEO
Fourth Official: Tamta Shengelia GEO
Referee Observer: Katarzyna Wierzbowska POL

Georgia – Greece
Referee: Veronika Vasylchenko UKR
Assistant Referee 1: Svitlana Hrushko UKR
Assistant Referee 2: Iryna Chayka UKR
Fourth Official: Sofiya Prychyna UKR
Referee Observer: Marta Frías Acedo ESP

Cyprus – Moldova
Referee: Charlotte Carpenter WAL
Assistant Referee 1: Ceri Williams WAL
Assistant Referee 2: Michelle Portelli WAL
Fourth Official: Iwan Griffith WAL
Referee Observer: Ana Aguiar POR

Belarus – Armenia
Referee: Senida Petak BIH
Assistant Referee 1: Aida Jusufović BIH
Assistant Referee 2: Nevena Marković BIH
Fourth Official: Vesna Miletić BIH
Referee Observer: Carina Vitulano ITA

France – Ireland
Referee: Désirée Blanco SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Susanne Küng SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Dos Santos SUI
Fourth Official: Michèle Schmölzer SUI
Referee Observer: Galina Doneva BUL

Netherlands – Poland
Referee: Fabienne Michel GER
Assistant Referee 1: Anne Uersfeld GER
Assistant Referee 2: Isabel Steinke GER
Fourth Official: Karoline Wacker GER
Referee Observer: Silvia Spinelli ITA

England – Ukraine
Referee: Emanuela Rusta ALB
Assistant Referee 1: Mirjeta Salla ALB
Assistant Referee 2: Edjena Kapxhiu ALB
Fourth Official: Eglantina Pjetrushaj ALB
Referee Observer: Antonia Kokotou GRE

Iceland – Spain
Referee: Miriama Bočková SVK
Assistant Referee 1: Miroslava Obertová SVK
Assistant Referee 2: Martina Ukropová SVK
Fourth Official: Zuzana Valentová SVK
Referee Observer: Pernilla Larsson SWE

UEFA U-17 Euro Final 2026: Lata (ALB)

7 June 2026

Belgium – Italy
Referee: Florian Lata ALB (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mario Shazivari ALB
Assistant Referee 2: Nikola Borović SRB
Fourth Official: Tom Owen WAL
Referee Observer: Björn Kuipers NED

No more delayed offside flag?

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will introduce significant technological innovations, allowing faster offside decisions and improved images from referee body cameras. It will also further democratise football technology by ensuring that all 48 participating teams will have equal access to match analysis capabilities and performance, regardless of their size or resources.

Advanced Semi-Automated Offside Technology will feature at the FIFA World Cup for the first time, allowing faster offside decisions and reducing the injury risk for players in the moments between the offside taking place and the flag being raised. Unlike the Semi-Automated Offside Technology used at the FIFA World Cup 2022, where information was sent directly to the video assistant referee (VAR), clear offsides will now be sent directly to the match officials on the pitch. “So, that means, instantly, the assistant referees can flag for positional offsides, allowing a much quicker decision,” said Mr. Holzmüller. He stressed that the improved system is limited to positional offside and will not determine interferences in play for players who are offside but do not touch the ball. To further enhance accuracy, every participating player at the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be 3D-scanned with their images and digital avatars incorporated into the Semi-Automated Offside technology system. “This is helpful for officiating, but at the end, also exciting for football fans since we will also improve the broadcasted 3D replays, where the players really look like the players and it’s immediately obvious which players are involved in the offside position,” he said.

Referee body cameras were first used at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and the trial exceeded expectations. Since then, Lenovo has developed technology which reduces motion blur caused by rapid movement and the stabilised footage now delivers a higher quality, first-person perspective for global audiences, enhancing transparency, understanding and engagement throughout the match. Mr. Holzmüller also explained how referees, teams, medical staff and fans would benefit from the 16 optical tracking cameras installed in each of the 16 stadiums, producing over 150 million tracking data points per match. Firstly, the data allows FIFA to recreate the entire match in 3D and make this feed available to the VAR – particularly useful in judging whether a player who is offside is interfering with play. “When a player, an attacking player, is blocking the view of the goalkeeper, then in this situation, the VAR has access to this feed and can check if this player, who is in a potential offside situation, has really blocked the view of the ball,” said Mr. Holzmüller. Secondly, this data can also help match officials determine whether the ball has crossed the touchline in the build-up to a goal. It can also be used by media partners to show highlights or entire matches in 3D. Last but not least, this feed is incorporated into FIFA AI Pro as the basis for 3D recreations.

Source: FIFA

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 Qualifiers – UEFA (Matchday 5)

5 June 2026

Spain – England
Referee: Ivana Martinčić CRO (photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Maja Petravić CRO
Assistant Referee 2: Ivona Pejić CRO
Fourth Official: Jelena Kumer CRO
Referee Observer: Elke Günther GER

Denmark – Sweden
Referee: Stéphanie Frappart FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Camille Soriano FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mélissa Rossignol FRA
Fourth Official: Élisa Daupeux FRA
Referee Observer: Teodora Albon ROU

Ireland – Netherlands
Referee: Katalin Kulcsár HUN
Assistant Referee 1: Anita Vad HUN
Assistant Referee 2: Nikolett Bizderi HUN
Fourth Official: Eszter Urbán HUN
Referee Observer: Anja Kunick GER

Germany – Norway
Referee: Marta Huerta de Aza ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Eliana Fernández González ESP
Fourth Official: María Planes Terol ESP
Referee Observer: Gitte Holm DEN

Georgia – Faroe Islands
Referee: Ioánna Allagiótou CYP
Assistant Referee 1: Angelikí Athanasopoúlou CYP
Assistant Referee 2: María Savvídou CYP
Fourth Official: Zoí Stávrou CYP
Referee Observer: Anri Saarivainio FIN

Slovakia – Finland
Referee: Milica Milovanović SRB
Assistant Referee 1: Aleksandra Kostić SRB
Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Mijailović SRB
Fourth Official: Mima Stanković SRB
Referee Observer: Sofia Karagiorgi CYP

Azerbaijan – Hungary
Referee: Vanja Janković SVN
Assistant Referee 1: Staša Špur SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Helena Buh SVN
Fourth Official: Aleksandra Česen SVN
Referee Observer: Petra Pavlíková SVK

Armenia – Kazakhstan
Referee: Marta Casado AND
Assistant Referee 1: Lara Anderson AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Acosta AND
Fourth Official: Andreu Simarro AND
Referee Observer: Viola Raudziņa LVA

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Lithuania
Referee: Minka Vekkeli FIN
Assistant Referee 1: Taru Tiensuu FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Ann-Sofie Träskman FIN
Fourth Official: Satu Miettunen FIN
Referee Observer: Snježana Fočić CRO

Bulgaria – Gibraltar
Referee: Irena Velevačkoska MKD
Assistant Referee 1: Vjolca Izeiri MKD
Assistant Referee 2: Tamara Cvetanoviḱ MKD
Fourth Official: Angela Rajčevska MKD
Referee Observer: Neli Stepanyan ARM

Moldova – Romania
Referee: Sapir Berman ISR
Assistant Referee 1: Mai Moalem ISR
Assistant Referee 2: Donia Zidan ISR
Fourth Official: Shada Dahamshi ISR
Referee Observer: Esther Azzopardi MLT

Czechia – Albania
Referee: Franziska Wildfeuer GER
Assistant Referee 1: Daniela Göttlinger GER
Assistant Referee 2: Jasmin Matysiak GER
Fourth Official: Miriam Schwermer GER
Referee Observer: Ana Minić SRB

Poland – France
Referee: Kirsty Dowle ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Georgia Ball ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Isabel Chaplin ENG
Fourth Official: Grace Lowe ENG
Referee Observer: Kirsi Heikkinen FIN

Ukraine – Iceland
Referee: Hristiyana Guteva BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Pavleta Rashkova BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Maria Vasileva BUL
Fourth Official: Lyubima Banova BUL
Referee Observer: Jenny Palmqvist SWE

Austria – Slovenia
Referee: Olatz Rivera Olmedo ESP
Assistant Referee 1: Iragartze Fernández Esesúmaga ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Rita Cabañero Mompó ESP
Fourth Official: Ainara Acevedo Dudley ESP
Referee Observer: Christine Baitinger GER

Montenegro – Wales
Referee: Henrikke Nervik NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Monica Lokkeberg NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Line Nymoen NOR
Fourth Official: Sarah Zangeneh NOR
Referee Observer: Knarik Grigoryan ARM

Scotland – Israel
Referee: Déborah Anex SUI
Assistant Referee 1: Laetitia Nuara SUI
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Dos Santos SUI
Fourth Official: Laura Mauricio SUI
Referee Observer: Nelly Viennot FRA

Italy – Serbia
Referee: Lina Lehtovaara FIN
Assistant Referee 1: Heini Hyvönen FIN
Assistant Referee 2: Laura Koskinen FIN
Fourth Official: Lotta Vuorio FIN
Referee Observer: Aneliya Sinabova BUL

Türkiye – Northern Ireland
Referee: Alexandra Collin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Clothilde Brassart FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Élodie Coppola FRA
Fourth Official: Émeline Rochebilière FRA
Referee Observer: Tanja Subotić SVN

Liechtenstein – Estonia
Referee: Araksya Saribekyan ARM
Assistant Referee 1: Liana Grigoryan ARM
Assistant Referee 2: Liana Yagmuryan ARM
Fourth Official: Sofik Torosyan ARM
Referee Observer: Christine Frai GER

Kosovo – Croatia
Referee: Karoline Wacker GER
Assistant Referee 1: Melissa Joos GER
Assistant Referee 2: Jessica Bergmann GER
Fourth Official: Angelika Söder GER
Referee Observer: Aušra Kance LTU

Switzerland – Malta
Referee: Kristina Georgieva BUL
Assistant Referee 1: Lilia Dumbalakova BUL
Assistant Referee 2: Dorieta Valeva BUL
Fourth Official: Valeria Petrova BUL
Referee Observer: Irina Mirț ROU

Andorra – North Macedonia
Referee: Ana Afonso POR
Assistant Referee 1: Cristiana Costa POR
Assistant Referee 2: Lisandra Tavares POR
Fourth Official: Filipa Cunha POR
Referee Observer: Sharon Sluyts BEL

Belgium – Luxembourg
Referee: Ana Terteleac ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Marilena Nan ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Roxana Ivanov ROU
Fourth Official: Iuliana Demetrescu ROU
Referee Observer: Blaženka Logarušić CRO

Portugal – Latvia
Referee: Olivia Tschon AUT
Assistant Referee 1: Amina Gutschi AUT
Assistant Referee 2: Noémi Hegedűs-Baráth HUN
Fourth Official: Sara Telek AUT
Referee Observer: Rhona Coombes IRL

Somali referee Artan secures US visa, cleared to officiate at World Cup 2026

Somali international referee Omar Artan has now secured his United States visa, clearing the final administrative hurdle that had placed uncertainty over his participation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he is set to make history as the first Somali official appointed to the tournament. The development follows growing concern in recent weeks, as other match officials selected for the World Cup had already completed their travel documentation and begun final preparations ahead of the tournament, set to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, while Artan’s visa process remained unresolved. A FIFA representative confirmed the development in a statement to The Eastleigh Voice, noting that the matter had been concluded and that Artan would now be part of the officiating team at the tournament.

“I can confirm that the visa issues have been fully resolved and he will now be available to officiate at the FIFA World Cup,” the FIFA representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Thursday. Artan’s appointment in April by FIFA marked a landmark moment for Somali football, earning him recognition as the first referee from the country to be selected for a World Cup. His rise to the global stage has been built on years of steady progression through the ranks of African football. He became a FIFA-listed referee in 2018 and has since taken charge of matches in major Confederation of African Football (CAF) competitions, steadily building his profile on the continent. In 2024, Artan broke new ground when he became the first Somali referee to officiate at the Africa Cup of Nations, overseeing the group-stage fixture between Tunisia and Namibia. He has also featured in two CAF Champions League finals, further strengthening his reputation at an elite level.

Source: The Eastleigh Voice

VAR gains new powers at World Cup

Video assistant referees (VAR) will have new powers to intervene at this summer's World Cup if fouls are committed immediately before the ball is in play at set-pieces, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) has announced. The new measures will allow VAR to step in if a clear foul committed by the attacking team before the ball is in play leads to a direct impact on a goal, penalty kick or disciplinary sanction. In a statement, IFAB said: "The IFAB has approved a clarification to the video assistant referee protocol for use at the 2026 FIFA World Cup regarding clear offences committed by the attacking team before the ball is in play at a corner kick or free kick that have a direct impact on a goal, penalty kick, or disciplinary sanction. If the offence meets the criteria set out in the clarification, VAR will recommend an on-field review, following which, if the referee determines that an offence occurred before the ball was in play, the appropriate disciplinary action will be taken and the corner kick or free kick will be retaken."

Speaking before the announcement was made, former top official Pierluigi Collina, now FIFA's chief refereeing officer and chairman of the FIFA referees committee, used the example of England's goal in their 1-1 friendly against Uruguay in March as one that VAR could disallow under the new protocol. Collina argued that Ben White's goal should not have stood as Adam Wharton made a clear block to prevent defender José María Giménez challenging for the ball shortly before the corner was taken. "We are convinced that this goal cannot stand, it is completely unfair..." Collina said. "If a foul is committed just before the ball is in play, we are convinced that nobody can object to something."

VAR was already due to take on an expanded role from this summer, with officials able to review red cards that result from a wrongful second booking, mistaken identity involving a second yellow card, and also intervene if a corner has been wrongly awarded instead of a goal kick. Players covering their mouth with a hand, arm or shirt will be given red cards if referees deem it not to be a friendly conversation, FIFA said. Conversations that are not confrontational but still have players shielding their mouths from public view will continue to be permitted without penalty. FIFA is also keen to clamp down on the growing issue of teams using injuries to break up play and hold team talks mid-game while players receive treatment. IFAB discussed the issue in March but was unable to find a solution. However, Collina said the matter had been raised during a workshop involving the head coaches of all 48 teams heading to this summer's World Cup. Although referees will have no sanctions at their disposal, Collina said referees would be "proactive" in preventing teams unfairly taking advantage of injuries. "We will not allow the teams going to the benches when a goalkeeper is lying on the ground injured," Collina said. "The goalkeeper has the right to be injured, but the players do not have the right to leave the field of play to have some sort of time out with their respective coaches. I'm afraid we didn't get a shared solution [on sanctions], a solution agreed by everybody. For this season, IFAB didn't take any decision. Certainly something will be done in the future. For the time being, we rely on players' understanding of the problem. We told them, 'be aware that we know' so what we can avoid is having all the players off the field of play. There are captains, there are coaches, so certainly referees will be ready to face something like this if it should happen."

Source: ESPN