Join The Club
France head into this evening's showdown against Senegal with the air of champions about them.
The French have made it to two successive World Cup finals, winning one, losing the other, and scoring seven goals in 210 minutes.
This is a national team for the ages, and while the once Africa Cup of Nations champions (before that bizarre court ruling) are a foe to be treated with caution, the French will kick off another World Cup as one of the major forces - but who will be officiating?
Who is the referee for France vs Senegal at the 2026 World Cup in Group I?
The France vs Senegal Group I match at the 2026 World Cup will be officiated by referee Alireza Faghani.
The Iranian-Australian official will oversee the match, played this evening at 8PM UK time at the New York Jersey Stadium.
Play our free match predictor and win £1k
Faghani will be joined by fellow Australian officials George Lakrindis and James Lindsay, who will serve as assistant referees.
And other countryman, Shaun Evans, will handle VAR duties at the 48-team tournament, which introduced five new rules prior to its opening clash last Thursday.
Faghani's resume on the international stage is an impressive one, overseeing one of the 2018 World Cup's greatest games.
That was the earlier precursor to the 2022 Qatar final, France vs Argentina, which ended 4-3 to the former in 2018.
That game saw eight bookings given, a penalty awarded for France after 13 minutes, and a selection of utterly glorious goals.
Faghani has also officiated one of the greatest 'international' games at club level - Chelsea's 3-0 victory over PSG at the Club World Cup, also held in the United States last summer.
The Australian official averages over 4 bookings per officiated match, and has refereed 119 A-League matches, 62 AFC Champions League Elite clashes, and three Olympics Games face-offs.
This will be the seventh World Cup game he has refereed, as France look to make a third successive final and tie Brazil's long-standing record.
