Who is the referee for Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Referee Joao Pinheiro gestures during the UEFA Super Cup 2025 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur at Stadio Friuli — Bosnia and Herzegovina take on Switzerland in their second group fixture tonight (Image credit: Getty Images)

World Cup Group B returns to action tonight as the tournament progresses through the second round of fixtures.

First, Switzerland take on Bosnia and Herzegovina, with both sides looking to add to the point they picked up in round one.

The officials in charge of the match have been announced ahead of the fixture, so let's learn a little about who will be in charge of tonight's clash.

Play our FREE match predictor and win £1k

Who are the officials and where do they come from?

Switzerland Euro 2024 squad The players of Switzerland pose for a team photo prior to the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 match between Switzerland and Italy at Olympiastadion on — Switzerland return to World Cup action against Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight (Image credit: Getty Images)

The man in the middle will be Portuguese official Joao Pinheiro, a very experienced referee who has previously taken charge of games in Portugal's Primeira Liga, the Champions League, the Europa League and for Tottenham Hotspur's 2025 Super Cup defeat against Paris Saint Germain.

It will be his first appearance at the tournament, although he has been on FIFA's list of referees since 2019, having first refereed a senior international match back in 2019, when he was put in charge of a match between Brazil and Panama.

Switzerland's forward #7 Breel Embolo poses prior a friendly match between Switzerland and Jordania ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup football tournament at the Kybunpark stadium, in St. Gallen — Breel Embolo scored in Switzerland's opener against Qatar (Image credit: Getty Images)

He is used to dealing with high profile players, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane, as he's also a regular in the Saudi Pro League, as well as the Egyptian Premier League.

However, he is very fond of dishing out cards, handing out a total of 1,980 yellows and 45 reds from the 440 games he's refereed during his career to date, averaging around five yellows per match.

Helping him out in this evening's match at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles will be his Portuguese compatriots Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia.

They will be helped out by another Portuguese member of staff, Tiago Martins, who will be the match's Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

The officials will be joined by Japanese pair Yusuke Araki, who will be this evening's fourth official, and Jun Mihara, the reserve assistant referee.

SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA &acirc;" JUNE 1: Players of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team take part in an open training session in front of fans at Grbavica Stadium in Sarajevo, — Bosnia were held to a 1-1 draw by Canada in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup (Image credit: Getty Images)

Switzerland will be hoping for a better outcome than in their opening fixture when they were pegged back by Qatar late on through Miro Muheim's equaliser, after taking the lead early in the match through a Breel Embolo penalty.

Bosnia are in a similar situation, having scored first against hosts Canada, before conceding a leveller in the 78th minute.

A win for either side will likely be enough to seal qualification from the group stages.

Ryan Gray is a freelance writer, covering mainly travel and occasionally sport. He previously spent two years as Sports Editor at the Watford Observer before turning his hand to travel writing, with his work appearing in various national UK publications. He has gone from providing matchday commentary for Blyth Spartans to covering FA Cup and Euros finals, as well as interviewing the likes of Claudio Ranieri, Alan Shearer and Glenn Hoddle, among other big names.