Who is the referee for France vs Iraq?

Desire Doue of France celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the international friendly match between Colombia and France at Northwest Stadium — Desire Doue got on the scoresheet during France's opening match (Image credit: Getty Images)

France lived up to their pre-tournament billing when they dispatched Senegal 3-1 in their opening Group I clash last week.

The spotlight had firmly been on Kylian Mbappe and the Real Madrid man did not disappoint, scoring twice to claim top spot in France's all-time leading goalscorer list.

Next up for Les Blues is an Iraq side were left licking their wounds after Erling Haaland netted twice in a 4-1 victory for Norway in their opening clash.

Play our FREE match predictor and win £1k

Who is the referee for New Zealand vs Egypt?

MONTERREY, MEXICO - MARCH 10: Drew Fischer, referee, reacts during the CONCACAF Champions Cup match between Rayados del Monterrey and Cruz Azul at BBVA Stadium at BBVA Bancomer Stadium on March 10, 2026 in Monterrey, Mexico. (Photo by Alfredo Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images) — Drew Fischer will be the man in the middle of this Group I clash (Image credit: Getty Images)

Kick-off is set for 4pm local time (10pm UK time) at Philadelphia Stadium, in the United States.

With France knowing that a win will seal a place in the knockouts, they will want to ensure there are no slip-ups ahead of their final group stage match against Nroway, while Iraq will be looking for a shock result that would reignite their hopes of progression.

Graham James Arnold, head coach of Iraq, his staff, and substitutes line up prior to the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 Quarter-final match between Jordan and Iraq at Education City Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on December 12, 2025. (Photo by Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images) — Iraq were at the wrong end of a 4-1 defeat to Norway in their first game (Image credit: Getty Images)

The referee for this match will be Drew Fischer, who will be taking charge of his first-ever World Cup match.

The 45-year-old from Canada has been a FIFA referee since 2015, with the majority of his career so far being spent in the MLS, where he was named the league's Referee of the Year in 2024 and 2025.

Fischer has also been a regular presence at the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the Gold Cup and was also a Video Match Official at the 2022 World Cup on Qatar.

Running the lines for Fischer will be fellow Cannucks Micheal Barwegen and Lyes Arfa.

Swiss whistle-merchant Sandro Schärer will be the fourth official in Philadelphia, with his compatriot Stephane De Almeida as the reserve.

Kylian Mbappe of France celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the World Cup 2026 Group I match between France and Senegal at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 16, 2026 in East Rutherford — Kylian Mbappe netted twice in France's opener (Image credit: Getty Images)

Up in the VAR booth, it will be American Joseph Dickerson.

He will be assisted by Uruguayan official Antonio Garcia.

One extra wrinkle to this evening's clash is that forecasted storms in the Philadelphia region may cause the match officials to trigger FIFA's bad weather protocols and delay the match.

TOPICS

For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.