England vs Mexico has been the most-discussed of all scheduled Round of 16 clashes at the 2026 World Cup, ironically, for its lack of a schedule.
The showdown, which has been spoken of as an impossible hill for England to summit due to altitude in Mexico City that the Three Lions cannot possibly acclimatise to in time, was nearly re-scheduled for kick-off six hours earlier yesterday.
That would have seen England play in the heat of the day, but alas, Thomas Tuchel’s men will play at their previously scheduled time, which carries the risk of a thunderstorm to compliment the Azteca’s dizzying altitude.
Who is the referee for Mexico vs England, Round of 32, 2026 World Cup?
To add insult to injury, England vs Mexico will also be officiated by, arguably, the most controversial referee still active at the 2026 World Cup across North America.
Australian official Alireza Faghani will serve as referee for the event, having failed to call a clear-cut penalty on Kylian Mbappe in France’s opening fixture vs Senegal.
He will be joined by fellow countrymen George Lakindris and Andrew Lindsay, as assistant referees for the showdown.
Morocco’s Jalal Jayed and Zakaria Brinsi will operate as the fourth official and reserve assistant referee, respectively.
Faghani boasts an impressive refereeing career, having officiated France’s blockbuster 4-3 victory against Argentina during the 2018 World Cup, serving eight cards and awarding a penalty after 13 minutes for a foul on Kylian Mbappe, in the then youngster’s breakout tournament.
Across North America, this will be his third event, having overseen France vs Senegal and Portugal vs Colombia, with the latter fixture also featuring a controversial disallowed goal during its dying embers.
On this stage, Faghani averages almost five bookings per match, and awards a spot kick every four fixtures.
He has shown red twice at the World Cup; the majority of his refereeing experience comes in the A-League, having refereed 119 matches and wielded an average of four cards per game.
The 48-year-old also served as referee for Chelsea’s 3-0 victory against PSG in the 2025 Club World Cup, which was also held in North America.
Faghani has refereed 62 AFC Champions League Elite events, eight FIFA Club World Cup showdowns and three Olympic Games face-offs.
