Join The Club
FIFA has announced its full roster of World Cup 2026 officials for the finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.
World Cup 2026 will be formed of 104 matches, each one requiring a team of officials to make the big decisions, administer hydration breaks, wrangle video replays and keep 1,248 players in line between June 11 and July 19.
FIFA has appointed 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials for World Cup 2026. Here are the refs you'll see in the summer, nation by nation.
Algeria
Mustapha Ghorbal
Mustapha Ghorbal has been refereeing in Algeria's top division since 2011 and was promoted to the FIFA international referees' list in 2014. He refereed four matches at World Cup 2022.
Argentina
Yael Falcon Perez
Argentinian ref Yael Falcon is a PE teacher who has been eligible to referee international matches since 2022 and will make his World Cup debut this summer.
Dario Herrera
41-year-old Dario Herrera refereed at Copa America 2024 in the United States and will be back for this first senior World Cup in June.
Facundo Tello
Facundo Tello will be one of the most experienced World Cup 2026 referees, having been accredited to officiate international games since 2019.
Australia
Alireza Faghani
An experienced referee who's been on the FIFA international referees list since 2008, Alireza Faghani was born in Iran but has been officiating in Australia's A-League for the last seven years.
This summer's tournament will be his third World Cup finals.
Brazil
Raphael Claus
FIFA listed since 2015, 46-year-old Raphael Claus will take charge of matches at his second consecutive World Cup. He refereed the last Copa America final in 2024.
Ramon Abatti
Ramon Abatti will also be appearing at his second World Cup, having been promoted to the FIFA international list in 2021.
Wilton Sampaio
The referee for England's World Cup quarter-final against France in Qatar in 2022 will be back on the world stage in North America this summer.
Canada
Drew Fischer
Drew Fischer has been on the international referees list since 2015. The Calgary-born Canadian holds a physics degree and has been refereeing in Major League Soccer for 14 years.
2026 will be Fischer's first men's World Cup after he served as a VAR at the Women's World Cup in 2019.
Chile
Cristian Garay
37-year-old Chilean ref Cristian Garay has described his first World Cup appointment as 'the biggest goal' of his career.
China
Ma Ning
Ma Ning has been refereeing in China's top flight since 2010 and was added to the FIFA list in 2011. He oversaw the final of the AFC Asian Cup in 2024.
Colombia
Andres Rojas
41-year-old Andres Rojas got on the wrong side of Filipe Luis after a Copa Libertadores match last year but will bring experience and consistency to the World Cup, according to refereeing experts.
Costa Rica
Juan Calderon
39-year-old Juan Calderon will be one of four referees representing host confederation CONCACAF from outside the host nations at World Cup 2026.
Egypt
Amin Mohamed Omar
Amin Omar has been FIFA-listed since 2017, four years into the sometime laywer's career in the Egyptian top flight.
El Salvador
Ivan Barton
Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton is 35 years old but already has World Cup and Club World Cup fixtures under his belt.
England
Michael Oliver
English referee Michael Oliver will be one of the most experienced at World Cup 2026, having been promoted to the FIFA list way back in 2012.
The 41-year-old has been overseeing Premier League matches since 2010 and refereed at the World Cup in 2022. Gianluigi Buffon isn't a fan.
Anthony Taylor
Another long-standing Premier League referee who officiated at the World Cup in 2022, Anthony Taylor has 15 years of top-flight league matches and a Club World Cup final under his belt.
He was added to the FIFA list in 2013, having started his refereeing career in the Northern Premier League as long ago as 2002.
France
Francois Letexier
36-year-old Francois Letexier is notable for a recent Champions League brush with Benfica boss Jose Mourinho but is progressing in the game a decade into life as a Ligue 1 referee.
FIFA listed in 2017, just two years after he reached Ligue 2 level as a young official, Letexier was in the middle for the last European Championship final.
Clement Turpin
The older of France's two referees at World Cup 2026, Clement Turpin was added to the international referees list in 2010 and has been taking charge of Ligue 1 matches since 2008.
Turpin has refereed five matches across the last two World Cups and oversaw two each at the European Championship in 2016, 2021 and 2024.
Gabon
Pierre Atcho
Gabon's Pierre Atcho has been on the FIFA international list for eight years and will take charge of his first World Cup matches in North America this summer.
Germany
Felix Zwayer
44-year-old Berliner Felix Zwayer has a wealth of experience since his appointment as a DFB referee in 2004. Three years after promotion to 1. Bundesliga, he was promoted to the FIFA list in 2012.
Zwayer was secretly banned for six months for his part in a match-fixing scandal on which he blew the whistle. He was a VAR at World Cup 2018 and officiated last year's all-Englsih Europa League final.
Honduras
Said Martinez
With a wealth of age-group international tournament experience to his name, Honduran official Said Martinez will make his senior World Cup debut in June.
Italy
Maurizio Mariani
Also a sailor in Italy's merchant navy, Roman referee Maurizio Mariani has been overseeing domestic matches since 2007 and achieved FIFA listed status in 2019.
He's been operating at Serie A level since 2015 and will be participating in his first major tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.
Jamaica
Oshane Nation
Having cut his teeth at the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina three years ago, Jamaica's Oshane Nation has been appointed to referee at World Cup 2026.
Japan
Yusuke Araki
Promoted to Japan's top-tier J1 League a decade ago and FIFA's international list as quickly as 2017, Yusuke Araki will referee at the World Cup for the first time this summer.
Jordan
Adham Makhadmeh
Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh joined the FIFA international list in 2013 and made his major tournament bow at the AFC Asian Cup 10 years later. World Cup 2026 will be his first.
Mauritania
Dahane Beida
Dahana Beida's day job as a referee in Mauritania's top division is overshadowed by extension officiating duties in the CAF region and beyond. His CV includes an Africa Cup of Nations final and a game in the last eight of the most recent Olympics.
Mexico
Katia Garcia
Katia Garcia was added to the FIFA list in 2019 having started out in the women's game. Now 33, she was appointed as a Liga MX Femenil referee in 2017 and as a Liga MX referee seven years later.
Garcia has now been refereeing for a decade and took charge of two group stage matches at the Women's World Cup in 2023. This is her first men's World Cup.
Cesar Ramos
Mexico's second referee at their third home World Cup will be 42-year-old Cesar Ramos, who has been on the FIFA international referees list since 2014 and already has two World Cups on his CV.
Ramos refereed three matches at the finals in 2018 and four in 2022, including the semi-final between France and Morocco.
Morocco
Jalal Jayed
39-year-old Jalal Jayed has taken charge of four matches at the Africa Cup of Nations, issuing an average of four yellow cards per game but yet to flash red.
Netherlands
Danny Makkelie
Regarded as an imposing official thanks to his work both on the pitch and in the police force in the Netherlands, Danny Makkelie is due to referee at his second World Cup this summer.
Curacao-born Makkelie has also been involved in the last two European Championship tournaments, before which he took charge of the Europa League final in 2020.
New Zealand
Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh
The sole representative of the Oceania region is New Zealand's Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh, who referees in New Zealand and Australia's A-League. His wife, Anna-Marie Keighley, is also a referee on the FIFA list.
Norway
Espen Eskas
37-year-old Eliteserien referee Espen Eskas has been a FIFA international referee since 2017 and oversaw matches at the last Olympic Games. 2026 will mark his major tournament debut.
Paraguay
Juan Gabriel Benitez
Paraguay's Juan Gabriel Benitez will referee World Cup matches for the first time this year. Last summer, he was in the middle for the Club World Cup fixture between Mamelodi Sundowns and Borussia Dortmund.
Peru
Kevin Ortega
Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega isn't on the United States' Christmas card list after a run-in with Christian Pulisic at Copa America in 2024. World Cup 2026 will be his second World Cup.
Poland
Szymon Marciniak
Polish referee Szymon Marciniak's first major tournaments were the European Championship in 2016 and the World Cup in 2018. For years later, he refereed the World Cup final between Argentina and France.
Despite missing the European Championship in 2021 due to a covid-related health condition, Marciniak has overseen 10 matches at senior major international tournaments.
He was the referee for Manchester City's Champions League final victory over Inter Milan in 2023.
Portugal
Joao Pinheiro
38-year-old Joao Pinheiro has more than a decade of experience in Portugal's top division and has been on the FIFA international referees list since 2016.
Qatar
Abdulrahman Al Jassim
Abdulrahman Al Jassim joined the FIFA list in 2013 and was the referee for United States vs Wales and Croatia vs Morocco at World Cup 2022 in the nation of his birth.
Romania
Istvan Kovacs
Istvan Kovacs was the referee for the first Conference League final and also has a Champions League semi-final under his belt. He was an unused referee at World Cup 2022.
Saudi Arabia
Khalid Al-Turais
Khalid Al-Turais is the only Saudi Arabian referee selected for World Cup 2026 duty. Colleagues Mohammed Al-Abkari (Assistant Referee) and Abdullah Al-Shehri (Video Assistant Referee) will be joining him in North America.
Slovenia
Slavko Vincic
UEFA representative Slavko Vincic is among the most experienced referees at World Cup 2026. He's been on the FIFA list since 2010 and has refereed a Champions League final, a Europa League final and matches at World Cup 2022 and each of the last two European Championship tournaments.
Somalia
Omar Adbulkadir Artan
Somalia's Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be one of the youngest referees at World Cup 2026 but has officiated matches in the Africa Cup of Nations and the Under-20 World Cup.
South Africa
Abongile Tom
2026 will be the first World Cup for 34-year-old Abongile Tom, who already has Africa Cup of Nations experience.
Spain
Alejandro Hernandez
Regarded as one of Spain's top refs, Alejandro Hernandez has worked in La Liga since 2012 and has been UEFA listed since 2014.
Sweden
Glenn Nyberg
37-year-old Glenn Nyberg will head up an all-Swedish trio at the World Cup this summer. He comes from a family of football officials and made his major tournament debut at the European Championship in 2024.
Switzerland
Sandro Schaerer
Swiss Super League referee Sandro Schaerer was promoted to the FIFA list in 2015 and has been appointed to continental finals as one of UEFA's Elite refs.
United Arab Emirates
Omar Al-Ali
38-year-old Omar Al-Ali is one of eight referees called up for World Cup 2026 from the Asian confederation. He's been refereeing in the Emirati league since 2014.
United States
Ismael Elfath
Appointed as a Major League Soccer referee in 2012 and promoted to the FIFA international referees list in 2016, Morocco-born Ismail Elfath was the first referee to conduct an in-pitch VAR review.
He took charge of two group stage matches at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and was named as the fourth official for the final.
Tori Penso
Tori Penso is one of the most recent FIFA list appointees to be handed a World Cup 2026 spot. The 39-year-old was listed in 2021, the year after she joined the MLS ranks on the back of experience in the second tier and in the women's game in the USA.
Penso refereed the Women's World Cup final in 2023.
Uruguay
Gustavo Tejera
Montevideo-born Gustavo Tejera was added to the FIFA list in 2018 and appointed as one of the referees at Copa America 2024.
Uzbekistan
Ilgiz Tantashev
A top-level referee in Uzbekistan since 2008, Ilgiz Tantashev has Olympic Games and Asian Cup match experience. He's been FIFA listed since 2013.
Venezuela
Jesus Valenzuela
Jesus Valenzuela and his two assistant referees will be Venezuela's only representatives at World Cup 2026. He was also appointed as a referee at the World Cup four years ago.
The Full List
"Following a meticulous and comprehensive selection process spanning over three years, FIFA has released the list of match officials who will oversee games at the FIFA World Cup 2026," according to FIFA's announcement.
Here's the full list of 52 referees, assistants and video match officials called up for World Cup duty this summer:
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