Saturday, 20 June 2026

2026 FIFA WC - Referee appointments for Group Stage starting from Match #17

Appointments of match officials at 2026 FIFA World Cup, Group Stage. 

Szymon Marciniak POL meets again Argentina 



Match #17
Group I
16 June 2026, 21:00 CET
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
FRANCE - SENEGAL 
Referee: Alireza Faghani AUS/IRN 
Assistant Referee 1: George Lakrindis AUS 
Assistant Referee 2: James Lindsay AUS
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve AR : Stéphane De Almeida SUI 
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Abdullah Alshehri KSA 
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Armando Villarreal USA
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Tatiana Guzman NCA

Match #18
Group I
17 June 2026, 00:00 CET
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
IRAQ - NORWAY 
Referee: Pierre Atcho GAB 
Assistant Referee 1: Boris Ditsoga GAB 
Assistant Referee 2: Amos Abeigne Ndong GAB
Fourth Official: Amin Mohamed Omar EGY 
Reserve AR : Mahmoud Abouregal EGY
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Guillermo Pacheco MEX
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Hamza El Fariq MAR
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Jarred Gillett ENG

Match #19
Group J
17 June 2026, 03:00 CET
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
ARGENTINA - ALGERIA 
Referee: Szymon Marciniak POL 
Assistant Referee 1: Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Kupsik POL 
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL 
Reserve AR : Isaac Trevis NZL 
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Dennis Johan Higler NED 
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Mohammed Obaid Khadim UAE 

Match #20
Group J
17 June 2026, 06:00 CET
Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara
AUSTRIA - JORDAN 
Referee: Dahane Beida MTN
Assistant Referee 1: Jerson Emiliano dos Santos ANG 
Assistant Referee 2: Elvis Noupue CMR
Fourth Official: Oshane Nation JAM
Reserve AR : Caleb Wales TRI 
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Mahmoud Ashour EGY
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Nicola Gallo COL
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Rodolpho Toski BRA  

Match #21
Group L
18 June 2026, 01:00 CET
BMO Field, Toronto
GHANA - PANAMA 
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE 
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE 
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Khalid Alturais KSA
Reserve AR : Mohammed Alabakry KSA
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Marco Di Bello ITA  
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Bastian Dankert GER 

Match #22
Group L
17 June 2026, 22:00 CET
AT&T Stadium, Arlington
ENGLAND - CROATIA 
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Nicolas Danos FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès FRA 
Fourth Official: Katia Garcia MEX 
Reserve AR : Sandra Ramirez MEX 
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Willy Delajod FRA
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Fedayi San SUI

Match #23
Group K
17 June 2026, 19:00 CET
NRG Stadium, Houston
PORTUGAL - DR CONGO
Referee: Abulrahman Al Jassim QAT 
Assistant Referee 1: Taleb Marri QAT 
Assistant Referee 2: Saoud Almaqaleh QAT
Fourth Official: Abongile Tom RSA 
Reserve AR : Zakhele Thusi Granville Siwela RSA
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Khamis Al Marri QAT
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Juan Soto VEN 
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Hernan Mastrangelo ARG 

Match #24
Group K
18 June 2026, 04:00 CET
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
UZBEKISTAN - COLOMBIA
Referee: Anthony Taylor ENG 
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn ENG 
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR : Juan Carlos Mora CRC 
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CRO
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Jarred Gillett ENG
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP 

Match #25
Group A
18 June 2026, 18:00 CET
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
CZECH REPUBLIC - SOUTH AFRICA 
Referee: Tori Penso USA 
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo USA
Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt USA
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR : Isaac Trevis NZL
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Tatiana Guzman NCA
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Joe Dickerson USA 
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Mohammed Obaid Khadim UAE

Match #26
Group B
18 June 2026, 21:00 CET
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
SWITZERLAND - BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 
Referee: João Pinheiro POR 
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus POR
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia POR
Fourth Official: Yusuke Araki JPN
Reserve AR : Jun Mihara JPN
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Fu Ming CHN 

Match #27
Group B
19 June 2026, 00:00 CET
BC Place, Vancouver
CANADA - QATAR 
Referee: Christian Garay CHI 
Assistant Referee 1:José Retamal CHI
Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Rocha CHI
Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega PER 
Reserve AR : Michael Orue PER 
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Juan Lara CHI
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Rodolpho Toski BRA
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Nicolas Gallo COL

Match #28
Group A
19 June 2026, 03:00 CET
Estadio Akron, Zapopan
MEXICO - SOUTH KOREA
Referee: Gustavo Tejera URU 
Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro URU
Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Taran URU 
Fourth Official: Andrés Rojas COL
Reserve AR : Alexander Guzman COL 
Vidéo Assistant Referee: leodan Gonzalez URU
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Antonio Garcia URU
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Jérôme Brisard FRA

Match #29
Group C
20 June 2026, 02:30 CET
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
BRAZIL - HAITI
Referee: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Assistant Referee 1: José Enrique Naranjo Pérez ESP 
Assistant Referee 2:  Diego Sánchez Rojo ESP
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve AR : Stéphane De Almeida SUI 
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Willy Delajod FRA 
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Mahmoud Ashour EGY

Match #30
Group C
20 June 2026, 00:00 CET
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
SCOTLAND - MOROCCO 
Referee:  Ilgiz Tantashev UZB
Assistant Referee 1:Andrey Tsapenko UZB
Assistant Referee 2: Timur Gaynullin UZB 
Fourth Official: Adham Makhadmeh JOR
Reserve AR : Mohammed Alkalaf JOR
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Armando Villarreal USA 
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Erick Miranda MEX
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Hernan Mastrangelo ARG

Match #31
Group D
20 June 2026, 05:00 CET
Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara
TÜRKİYE - PARAGUAY 
Referee:  Ivan Barton SLV 
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran SLV
Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Pupiro SLV 
Fourth Official: Oshane Nation JAM
Reserve AR : Caleb Wales TRI 
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Khamis Al Marri QAT 
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Tatiana Guzman NCA 
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Abdullah Alshehri KSA

Match #32
Group D
19 June 2026, 21:00 CET
Lumen Field, Seattle
USA - AUSTRALIA 
Referee: Felix Zwayer GER 
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempter GER
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Dietz GER
Fourth Official: Katia Garcia MEX
Reserve AR : Sandra Ramirez MEX 
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Hamza El Fariq MAR
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Bram Van Driessche BEL

Match #33
Group E
20 June 2026, 22:00 CET
BMO Field, Toronto
GERMANY - IVORY COAST 
Referee:  Juan Gabriel Benitez PAR 
Assistant Referee 1: Eduarco Cardozo PAR 
Assistant Referee 2: Milcíades Saldívar PAR 
Fourth Official: Khalid Al-Turais KSA
Reserve AR : Mohammed Al-Bakry KSA 
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Antonio Garcia URU
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Guillermo Pacheco MEX 
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Juan Soto VEN 

Match #34
Group E
21 June 2026, 02:00 CET
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
ECUADOR - CURAÇAO
Referee:  Ma Ning CHN 
Assistant Referee 1: Zhou Fei CHN
Assistant Referee 2: Saud Al-Maqaleh QAT
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL 
Reserve AR : Isaac Trevis NZL 
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Fu Ming CHN
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Marco Di Bello ITA 
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL

Match #35
Group F
20 June 2026, 19:00 CET
NRG Stadium, Houston
NETHERLANDS - SWEDEN
Referee:  Michael Oliver ENG 
Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Jamen Mainwaring ENG  
Fourth Official: Abongile Tom RSA 
Reserve AR : Zakhele Thusi Granville Siwela RSA
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Jarred Gillett ENG
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Ivan Bebek CRO
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 :Rodolpho Toski BRA

Match #36
Group F
21 June 2026, 06:00 CET
Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe
TUNISIA - JAPAN
Referee: Istvan Kovacs ROU 
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marica ROU 
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi  ROU
Fourth Official: Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR : Juan Carlos Mora CRC
Vidéo Assistant Referee: Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : Joe Dickerson USA 
Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 :Bastian Dankert GER 

Match #37
Group H
22 June 2026, 00:00 CET
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
URUGUAY - CAPE VERDE
Referee: Espen Eskas NOR 
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Erik Engan NOR 
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Bashevkin NOR 
Fourth Official: Tori Penso USA
Reserve AR : Brooke Mayo USA 
Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Dennis Johan Higler NED 

Match #38
Group H
21 June 2026, 18:00 CET
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
SPAIN - SAUDI ARABIA 
Referee: Raphael Claus BRA 
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Rodrigo Figueiredo BRA 
Fourth Official: Andrés Rojas COL
Reserve AR : Alexander Guzman COL 
Video Assistant Referee: Nicolas Gallo COL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Erik Miranda MEX
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Guillermo Pacheco MEX

Match #39
Group G
21 June 2026, 21:00 CET
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
BELGIUM - IRAN 
Referee: Dario Herrera ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Navarro ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade ARG
Fourth Official: Yusuke Araki JPN
Reserve AR : Jun Mihara JPN
Video Assistant Referee: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Leodan González URU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP 

Match #40
Group G
22 June 2026, 03:00 CET
BC Place, Vancouver
NEW ZEALAND - EGYPT 
Referee: Omar Al Ali UAE
Assistant Referee 1: Mohamed Al-Hammadi UAE
Assistant Referee 2: Taleb Al-Marri QAT
Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega PER
Reserve AR: Michael Orue PER 
Video Assistant Referee: Mohammed Khamid UAE 
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Shaun Evans AUS
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Armando Villarreal USA 

Match #41
Group I
23 June 2026, 02:00 CET
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
NORWAY - SENEGAL 
Referee: Wilton Sampaio BRA 
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Pires BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Bruno Boschilia BRA 
Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
Reserve AR: Isaac Trevis NZL 
Video Assistant Referee: Rodolpho Toski BRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Juan Lara CHI 
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL

Match #42
Group I
22 June 2026, 23:00 CET
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
FRANCE - IRAQ 
Referee: Drew Fischer CAN 
Assistant Referee 1: Micheal Barwegen CAN
Assistant Referee 2: Lyes Arfa CAN 
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve AR: Stéphane De Almeida SUI 
Video Assistant Referee: Joe Dickerson USA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Antonio Garcia MEX
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Juan Soto VEN 

Match #43
Group J
22 June 2026, 19:00 CET
AT&T Stadium, Arlington
ARGENTINA - AUSTRIA
Referee: Amin Mohamed Omar EGY 
Assistant Referee 1: Mahmoud Abouregal EGY 
Assistant Referee 2: Ahmed Hossam Taha EGY
Fourth Official: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Reserve AR: Diego Sánchez Rojo ESP 
Video Assistant Referee: Khamis Al Marri QAT 
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Mahmoud Ashour EGY
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Tatiana Guzman NCA

Match #44
Group J
23 June 2026, 05:00 CET
Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara
JORDAN - ALGERIA 
Referee: Slavko Vinčić SVN 
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik SVN
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič SVN
Fourth Official: Oshane Nation JAM
Reserve AR: Caleb Wales TRI 
Video Assistant Referee: Ivan Bebek CRO
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Jarred Gillett ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 Bram Van Driessche BEL

Match #45
Group L
23 June 2026, 22:00 CET
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
ENGLAND - GHANA
Referee:  Said Martinez HON
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez HON
Assistant Referee 2: Christian Ramirez HON 
Fourth Official:  Ma Ning CHN 
Reserve AR: Zhou Fei CHN 
Video Assistant Referee: Armando Villarreal USA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Erick Miranda MEX
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Abdullah Alshehri KSA

Match #46
Group L
24 June 2026, 01:00 CET
BMO Field, Toronto
PANAMA - CROATIA 
Referee: Pierre Atcho GAB 
Assistant Referee 1: Boris Ditsoga GAB 
Assistant Referee 2: Amos Abeigne Ndong GAB
Fourth Official: Khalid Al-Turais  KSA
Reserve AR: Mohammed Al-Bakry KSA
Video Assistant Referee: Nicolas Gallo COL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Fu Ming CHN
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Bastian Dankert GER 

Match #47
Group K
23 June 2026, 19:00 CET
NRG Stadium, Houston
PORTUGAL - UZBEKISTAN
Referee: Jalal Jayed MAR 
Assistant Referee 1: Zakaria Brinsi MAR
Assistant Referee 2: Mostafa Akarkad MAR
Fourth Official: Abongile Tom RSA 
Reserve AR: Zakhele Thusi Granville Siwela RSA
Video Assistant Referee: Leodan Gonzaklez URU
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Hamza El Fariq MAR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 : Hernan Mastrangelo ARG

Match #48
Group K
24 June 2026, 04:00 CET
Estadio Akron, Zapopan
COLOMBIA - DR CONGO 
Referee: Maurizio Mariani ITA 
Assistant Referee 1: Daniele Bindoni ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni ITA 
Fourth Official:  Juan Calderon CRC
Reserve AR: Juan Carlos Mora CRC 
Video Assistant Referee: Marco Di Bello ITA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 : Mohammed Obaid Khadim UAE
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP 
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197 comments:

  1. Oliver13 June 2026 at 15:25

    When did Faghani change his ARs? I know Schchtenin retired but I’m sure Beecham is still on the FIFA list?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jackson19 June 2026 at 03:34

      Schchtenin is not retired and still on the FIFA list for 2026, don't know where you got that from. I have no idea why they changed the two time club world cup final assistant referees from Australia. Anton was also the AR1 for 2021 Olympics final. I tried to raise this question pre-tournament when the referees list for the world cup was announced and nobody said anything.

      Delete
  2. Fab GX13 June 2026 at 15:30

    Good choice! Anxious to see Marciniak in this match really challenger. Argentineans claim of all and Algerians have hard style

    ReplyDelete
  3. M13 June 2026 at 15:35

    Yep,Marciniak really suited for this match.

    Argentina with their dark arts and all things possible with Algeria's aggresive style that is sometime borderline.

    Everyone expects Argetnina to win easily and match to be easy going.

    I would totally disagree,Algeria is very competitive and can make very challenging match for Polish ref.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Filip_MNE13 June 2026 at 15:41

    CAF referees fully exploited at the start of the tournament

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gozie Joe13 June 2026 at 17:32

      Yea, so that they can be sent home early in case of the slightest controversy.

      Delete
  5. Peter13 June 2026 at 15:47

    I have reservations about the specific appointment of Szymon Marciniak: After already having refereed Argentina in 2018 and twice in 2022 (including the final), he will be officiating this team for the fourth time in his sixth World Cup appearance. Especially in the group stage, with its numerous options, such a one-sided assignment is really avoidable. There are plenty of high-profile matches befitting his reputation besides Argentina games.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Akram13 June 2026 at 15:47

    What does the presence of the Egyptian referee Amin Omar as the fourth official mean? Does this mean that his tournament journey has ended after the first match?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nobody13 June 2026 at 16:01

    Is Elvis Noupue originally a part of Beida's crew or joined them after Artan left the tournament?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Josh Shang13 June 2026 at 16:13

      They had been appointed together in CAF matches, and it seems that in CAF plenty of refs don't have ARs from same nation.I think Beita and Artan share 2 ARs and Noupue joined Beida's team all make sense. Anyway, hoping more refs with 1AR will get chance to step in the court as Referee.

      Delete
  8. Josh Shang13 June 2026 at 16:06

    Two fun facts:
    - Amin Omar was appointed as fourth offical who has 2ARs
    - Dahane Beita was appointed with team coming from different nations(But actually they had been appointed together in CAF Confederation Cup 2025 1st leg)

    So I'm curious whether refs with 1 AR with them will be appointed as Referee or not, it seems to be unclear now:)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Chefren13 June 2026 at 16:15

    It's clear that after Artan affair, now FIFA is pushing CAF.
    Impossible to think that they had planned all these appointments at the beginning of the tournament for them.
    Yes, a bigger WC with more teams, but still... if we think back how CAF referees were used in most of FIFA competitions!

    On these appointments: Marciniak again with Argentina for the fourth time in last three WC editions.
    2018 Argentina - Iceland (controversial, maybe somebody can rememer what happened and discussed on the blog).
    2022 Argentina - Australia and Argentina - France
    Maybe it's too much? Collina behind such choices.

    ReplyDelete
  10. weka13 June 2026 at 16:52

    I have to say, Kawana-Waugh as a 4th is a big deal too. Wow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. usaref13 June 2026 at 20:01

      He has one AR with him. This was entirely predictable and expected.

      Delete
  11. Abdiaziz ahmed yousuf13 June 2026 at 17:11

    Only five european referees gets match until and two may be gets tomorrow for sure 7 european referees have no match for the first round in group stages

    ReplyDelete
  12. TotallyRandom13 June 2026 at 17:57

    For tomorrow, Ghana-Panama is considered a more balanced game than England-Croatia. It seems like the Croatians are viewed as clear outsiders. I am curios if this will be reflected also in the choices of the referees or not.

    ReplyDelete
  13. HB230013 June 2026 at 18:00

    Sandro Schärer is the 4th official in the Brazil - morocco game today, and we see that he has been appointed as 4th official once again..."

    ReplyDelete
  14. diego61213 June 2026 at 18:14

    Can be the same scenario like Qatar with Argentina getting just UEFA referees?

    If Faghani is liked by Tapia and company, I see him getting the game against Austria…Obviously UEFA is expected in the game VS Jordan.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Unknown13 June 2026 at 18:45

    A question for the experts here.

    Do you expect FIFA’s confederation neutrality to be broken for the MD2 game between Argentina 🇦🇷 and Austria 🇦🇹?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Filip_MNE13 June 2026 at 19:00

      No. Multiple candidates for that match that wouldn't break confederation neutrality. Faghani, Ramos, Elfath first that come to mind

      Delete
    2. Chefren13 June 2026 at 19:09

      Barton

      Delete
    3. Unknown13 June 2026 at 19:36

      But didn’t they have European referees in all WC2022 games?

      Delete
    4. Tevinjm13 June 2026 at 19:58

      No need to break neutrality this early in the tournament and I will be surprised to see a UEFA team there except for the VAR team

      Delete
  16. w13 June 2026 at 20:22

    Who do you guys think is doing ENG vs CRO? Maybe Barton or Tejera? I would've rather had Sampaio or Valenzuela be saved for this match. Maybe they go with a UEFA ref? Possible for 3 UEFA refs on that matchday. I would save Turpin for MEX vs KOR though. I personally don't like seeing a UEFA ref on a all UEFA match :/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter13 June 2026 at 20:42

      But this is standard FIFA practice: After István Kovács officiated PSG's Champions League final last year, he refereed the same team again two weeks later at the Club World Cup (I wouldn't have nominated a UEFA referee for that). Szymon Marciniak is officiating Argentina for the fourth time in his sixth World Cup match. And UEFA derbies at the World Cup group stage are practically always officiated by UEFA referees (even though there are plenty of non-UEFA games for them).

      Delete
  17. Chefren13 June 2026 at 21:54

    I think you all have noticed a very particular detail in Marciniak's picture above :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter13 June 2026 at 22:56

      Oh, you mean that plastic surprise watch that looks like it came out of a gumball machine?

      Delete
    2. BritRef14 June 2026 at 07:37

      Any idea why Claus/Herrera have not been used yet?

      Delete
  18. Philipp S14 June 2026 at 11:50

    The missing support referees are indeed interesting. Not only Claus and Herrera, but also Ma Ning and Al Ali haven't been appointed yet.
    I think, there are three possible explanations:
    1. They aren't planned as pure support referees, but will get a game on the pitch with a "rented" AR2. Claus and Herrera certainly have the quality for that, while Ma could fill the East Asian spot.
    2. They aren't available for some reason, e.g. health issues
    3. The idea is to send out the 4th officials for 2 games in 3 days to a certain region and then to return to Miami. So the 4 missing ones would do 2 games on MD2, while some of the others stay in Miami during that time.

    Or a combination or something else...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yifei15 June 2026 at 17:30

      Claus, Herrera and Ma Ning will get a game with 'rented' AR2, Ma Ning's AR2 may be Al Ali's only AR.

      Predictions:
      Scotland-Morocco: Herrera
      Brazil-Haiti: Ma Ning
      Spain-Saudi: Claus

      Delete
  19. Simeon Vinchev14 June 2026 at 14:50

    Official

    Portugal–DRCongo:Al-Jassim
    England–Croatia:Turpin
    Ghana–Panama:Nyberg
    Uzbekistan – Colombia: Taylor

    ReplyDelete
  20. Nobody14 June 2026 at 15:31

    Of all fourth officials who has made more than one appearance:
    Schärer, García, Nation, Tom and Araki perform their duties in the same stadium while Ortega, Calderón and Al-Turais are in the same regions (FIFA divided cities into three regions).

    ReplyDelete
  21. Peter14 June 2026 at 15:31

    As expected, a UEFA referee for ENGCRO. On one hand, you can argue that they know the respective teams particularly well. On the other hand, I think that at a World Cup with enough non-European games, all UEFA referees should be used exclusively there. Surely, a high-profile referee from another confederation would also be happy to officiate such a UEFA derby once.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Ex Eng Ref14 June 2026 at 16:21

    More than happy to have Turpin. A well known quantity, there will be no surprises
    Perfect referee for the match as he does not need to make himself centre of attention

    ReplyDelete
  23. AHMED ADERDOUR14 June 2026 at 17:16

    Spain vs Cabo Verde

    Referee: MAKHADMEH Adham (JOR)
    Assistant Referee 1: AL KALAF Mohammad (JOR)
    Assistant Referee 2: AL ROALLE Ahmad (JOR)
    Fourth Official: ROJAS Andres (COL)
    Reserve AR : GUZMAN Alexander (COL)
    Vidéo Assistant Referee: DICKERSON Joe (USA)
    Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 : ALMARRI Khamis (QAT)
    Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 : FU Ming (CHN

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sale14 June 2026 at 17:17

    No Pinheiro for ENG-CRO, our legend Ahmed won't be pleased. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adams A.A.14 June 2026 at 19:16

      Left for Ahmed Abdiaziz, Pinheiro should be officiating all the matches including all the Semi finals and final, even if the match involves Portugal

      Delete
  25. Unknown14 June 2026 at 18:20

    I’m a bit surprised by Marciniak’s appointment with Argentina. I think the match does not need him, there are other European referees who can officiate this match. Moreover, there is a chance that Argentina plays against Uruguay in R32 and Marciniak is a perfect fit there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter14 June 2026 at 19:05

      Which match would need him?

      Delete
    2. Adams A.A.14 June 2026 at 19:15

      Let's stop acting as if some matches are more important than others. This is a World Cup and every single match is important, at least there is not dead rubber matches yet. Is your point that no other referee asides Marciniak is capable of officiating Uruguay Argentina in the event that such happens? Let's not put the cart before the horse.

      Delete
    3. Unknown14 June 2026 at 20:00

      I’m just saying Marciniak would be the best choice if that scenario unfolds.
      And after a famous QF in 2022, I would always save Marciniak for a hot KO-game involving Argentina.

      Delete
  26. Adams A.A.14 June 2026 at 19:12

    Match day 1 appointment done and dusted:
    Awaiting features for Zwayer, Kovacs, Eskas, Pinheiro, Ivan Barton and Christian Garay. Quite interesting

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter14 June 2026 at 19:21

      When I look at the list of upcoming (still unfilled) games, Switzerland - Bosnia and Herzegovina immediately catches my eye. A game that reminds me of Switzerland - Serbia eight years ago under Dr. Felix Brych which ended with a media storm against him – I wonder if FIFA will nominate Felix Zwayer for this match?

      Delete
    2. Bundesligafan14 June 2026 at 21:16

      I‘m not sure that Eskas and Pinheiro will get an appointment as main referee.

      Delete
    3. Abdiaziz ahmed yousuf14 June 2026 at 21:53

      You miss that every referee participate for the tournament gets at least one game

      Delete
    4. Anpicor14 June 2026 at 22:03

      They will get, a minimum of 2 games each

      Delete
  27. Abdiaziz ahmed yousuf14 June 2026 at 22:02

    I am not sure that zwayer gets a match as a main referee mr bundesligafan 😁😁😁

    ReplyDelete
  28. HChip14 June 2026 at 22:05

    I hope when Tori Penso (and co) get a match, Katia Garcia alongside her assistant are their knights in shining armour on the sidelines to make it the second match in WC History to have an all-female officiating team! Maybe even add Tatiana Guzman into the VAR Booth to make it 7 female officials!

    Would also be a nice touch as it’d be an all (North) American on-field team!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quan Pham19 June 2026 at 00:43

      Yes. That would be nice but I think that FIFA is careful with projecting a certain image and to have an all-female crew would be too much of a statement.

      Delete
  29. Philipp S15 June 2026 at 00:57

    My MD2 predictions
    Czech Republic – South Africa: Tori Penso, Kathryn Nesbitt, Brooke Mayo (all USA), Omar Al Ali (UAE) – Joe Dickerson, Armando Villarreal (both USA), Tatiana Guzman (NCA)
    Switzerland – Bosnia-Herzegovina: Cristian Garay, Jose Retamal, Miguel Rocha (all CHI), Ma Ning (CHN) – Juan Lara (CHI). Antonio Garcia (URU), Hernan Mastrangelo (ARG)
    Canada – Qatar: Juan Benitez, Milciades Saldivar, Eduardo Cardozo (all PAR), Dario Herrera (ARG) – Nicolas Gallo (COL), Leodan Gonzalez (URU), Raphael Toski (BRA)
    Mexico – South Korea: Felix Zwayer, Robert Kempter, Christian Dietz (all GER), Raphael Claus (BRA) – Bastian Dankert (GER), Willy Delajod (FRA), Bram van Driessche (BEL)

    USA – Australia: Istvan Kovacs, Mihai Marica, Ferencz Tunyogi (all ROU), Kevin Ortega (PER) – Dennis Higler (NED), Ivan Bebek (CRO), Jerome Brisard (FRA)
    Scotland – Marocco: Drew Fischer, Michael Barwegen, Lyes Arfa (all CAN), Andres Rojas (COL) – Erick Miranda, Guillermo Pacheco (both MEX), Juan Soto (VEN)
    Brazil – Haiti: Espen Eskas, Jan Engan, Isaak Bashevkin (all NOR), Khalid Al-Turais (KSA) – Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL), Marco di Bello (ITA), Shaun Evans (AUS)
    Türkiye – Paraguay: Ilgiz Tantashev, Andrey Tsapenko, Timur Gaynullin (all UZB), Osmane Nation (JAM) – Khamis Al-Marri (QAT), Abdullah Al-Shehri (KSA), Fu Ming (CHN)

    Netherlands – Sweden: Michael Oliver, Stuart Burt, James Mainwaring (all ENG), Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (NZL) – Jared Gillett (ENG), Willy Delajod (FRA), Bram van Driessche (BEL)
    Germany – Ivory Coast: Gustavo Tejera, Nicolas Taran, Carlos Barreiro (all URU), Sandro Schärer (SUI) – Antonio Garcia, Leodan Gonzalez (both URU), Juan Lara (CHI)
    Ecuador – Curacao: Joao Pinheiro, Bruno Jesus, Luciano Maia (all POR), Katia Garcia (MEX) – Fedayi San (SUI), Mahmoud Ashour (EGY), Hamza El-Fariq (MAR)
    Tunisia – Japan: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez, Jose Naranjo Perez, Diego Sanchez Rojo (all ESP), Abongile Tom (RSA) – Carlos del Cerro Grande (ESP), Bastian Dankert (GER), Joe Dickerson (USA)

    Spain – Saudi-Arabia: Ivan Barton (SLV), Henry Pupiro (NCA), David Moran (SLV), Omar Al-Ali (UAE) – Tatiana Guzman (NCA), Juan Soto (VEN), Raphael Toski (BRA)
    Belgium – Iran: Facundo Tello, Juan Belatti, Gabriel Chade, Dario Herrera – Hernan Mastrangelo (all ARG), Nicolas Gallo (COL), Erick Miranda (MEX)
    Uruguay – Capo Verde: Glenn Nyberg, Mahbod Beigi, Andreas Söderkvist (all SWE), Pierre Atcho (GAB) – Dennis Higler (NED), Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL), Ivan Bebek (CRO)
    New Zealand – Egypt: Francois Letexier, Cyril Mugnier, Mehdi Rahmouni (all FRA), Yusuke Araki (JPN) – Jerome Brisard (FRA), Marco di Bello (ITA), Fu Ming (CHN)

    Argentina – Austria: Alireza Faghani, George Lakrindis, James Lindsay (all AUS). Juan Calderon (CRC) – Shaun Evans (AUS), Mohammed Obaid (UAE), Khamis Al-Marri (QAT)
    France – Iraq: Cristian Garay, Jose Retamal, Miguel Rocha (all CHI), Andres Rojas (COL) – Juan Lara (CHI), Antonio Garcia, Leodan Gonzalez (both URU)
    Norway – Senegal: Ismail Elfath, Corey Parker, Kyle Atkins (all USA), Khalid Al-Turais (KSA) – Armando Villareal (USA), Guillermo Pacheco (MEX), Abdullah Al-Shehri (KSA)
    Jordan – Algeria: Maurizio Mariani, Alberto Tegoni, Daniele Bindoni (all ITA), Ma Ning (CHN) – Marco di Bello (ITA), Jared Gillett (ENG), Fedayi San (SUI)

    Portugal – Uzbekistan: Yael Falcon, Maximiliano del Yesso, Facundo Rodriguez (all ARG), Raphael Claus (BRA) – Hernan Mastrangelo (ARG), Raphael Toski (BRA), Mahmoud Ashour (EGY)
    England – Ghana: Adham Makhadmeh, Ahmad Al-Roalle, Mohammad Al-Kalaf (all JOR), Sandro Schärer (SUI) – Joe Dickerson (USA), Tatiana Guzman (NCA), Erick Miranda (MEX)
    Panama – Croatia: Ramon Abatti, Danilo Manis, Rafael Alves (all BRA), Omar Al-Ali (UAE) – Juan Soto (VEN), Fu Ming (CHN), Nicolas Gallo (COL)
    Colombia – DR Congo: Felix Zwayer, Robert Kempter, Christian Dietz (all GER), Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (NZL) – Bastian Dankert (GER), Willy Delajod (FRA), Ivan Bebek (CRO)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Abdiaziz ahmed yousuf15 June 2026 at 08:48

      Its impossible that joao pinheiro officate a game like ecuador vs curacao also its impossible a referee officate two game in one round

      Delete
    2. Philipp S15 June 2026 at 11:24

      The problem with ECU-CUW is, that it's hard to find an alternative (if the next 13 games go to the 13 remaining expected main referees), because most CAF and AFC referees already worked. So an UEFA referee seems more likely than before for this game - and once it is a UEFA referee, Pinheiro appears as a valid option, I think.
      Also, it's kind of a must-win game for both teams after a loss at MD 1.

      Of course, the 13 for 13 is not a fixed rule, so other things could happen, like an early second game for e.g. Mohamed or an unexpected appearence of e.g. Ma Ning.

      The double appointments might seem strange, but I don't see a strong argument against them with 3 or 4 rest days available between two games on MD2.

      Delete
    3. Peter15 June 2026 at 11:25

      What do you mean by 'a game like Ecuador vs Curacao'? And why do you think it's impossible for João Pinheiro to referee it?

      Delete
    4. Unknown15 June 2026 at 15:43

      Philipp, I have to give you credits for the team you spend creating all those team compositions.

      I was wondering, whether it is sensible to give Felix Zwayer two back-to-back games in MD2, when e.g. Vincic and Makkelie have their hands free and had more days to recover? If Zwayer works a MD2 match and does well, he will probably land at the mid/back MD3 (or given even straight to R32, no?).

      Delete
    5. Philipp S15 June 2026 at 17:25

      Thanks for the feedback.
      I think, that three rest days are enough, so as long as you keep that minimum, you can assign the referees to the games, where they fit best not worrying whether two games happen to be on the same matchday. Also the appointments are published (and made?) three days before, so FIFA could still react on the first game performance, if neccessary.
      Obviously, predictions for the later games on MD2 have to be fuzzy at this point, because we don't know group standings and only parts of the first performances by the referees.
      And finally, if you (for any reason) think, that Vincic and Makkelie are better used on MD3, the early MD1 game should not convince you to give them MD2 instead, I think.

      But I might be wrong, and the second games order will be more similar to the first games order.

      Delete
    6. Adams A.A.15 June 2026 at 19:46

      Tantashev from Uzbekistan wouldn't be a fair choice in a match involving Turkiye. Hard to see your prediction for that match come through

      Delete
  30. Bgymn15 June 2026 at 01:29

    Predictions for tmrw

    Czechia South Africa Fischer
    Mexico South Korea Kovacs
    Switzerland Bosnia Pinheiro
    Canada Qatar Garay

    ReplyDelete
  31. w15 June 2026 at 11:06

    Predictions for 18 & 19 June
    CZE VS RSA - Tejera
    SUI VS BIH - Pinheiro
    CAN VS QAT - Benitez
    MEX VS KOR - Oliver

    USA VS AUS - Zwayer
    SCO VS MAR - Garay
    BRA VS HAI - Eskas
    TUR VS PAR - Tantashev

    ReplyDelete
  32. Simeon Vinchev15 June 2026 at 11:26

    My predictions

    Czech Republic - South Africa :Garay
    Switzerland – Bosnia-Herzegovina :Eskas
    Canada - Qatar : Hernandez
    Mexico - South Korea: Kovacs

    ReplyDelete
  33. HChip15 June 2026 at 14:47

    Match #25
    Group A
    18 June 2026, 18:00 CET
    Atlanta Stadium, Georgia
    Czechia vs South Africa
    Referee: Tori Penso USA
    Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo USA
    Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt USA
    Fourth Official: Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh NZL
    Reserve AR : Isaac Trevis NZL
    Vidéo Assistant Referee:
    Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 :
    Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 :

    Match #26
    Group B
    18 June 2026, 21:00 CET
    Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood
    Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Referee: Joao Pinheiro POR
    Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus POR
    Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia POR
    Fourth Official: Yusuke Araki JPN
    Reserve AR : Jun Mihara JPN
    Vidéo Assistant Referee:
    Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 :
    Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 :

    Match #27
    Group B
    19 June 2026, 00:00 CET
    BC Place, Vancouver
    Canada vs Qatar
    Referee: Cristian Garay CHI
    Assistant Referee 1: Jose Retamal CHI
    Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Rocha CHI
    Fourth Official: Kevin Ortega PER
    Reserve AR : Michael Orue PER
    Vidéo Assistant Referee:
    Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 :
    Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 :

    Match #28
    Group A
    19 June 2026, 03:00 CET
    Guadalajara Stadium, Zapopan
    Mexico vs South Korea
    Referee: Gustavo Tejera URU
    Assistant Referee 1: Carlos Barreiro URU
    Assistant Referee 2: Nicolas Taran URU
    Fourth Official: Andres Rojas COL
    Reserve AR : Alexander Guzman COL
    Vidéo Assistant Referee:
    Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 1 :
    Assistant Vidéo Assistant Referee 2 :

    ReplyDelete
  34. Ecosse15 June 2026 at 14:59

    Penso with a game where both teams really need to win even if the game is one with less focus on it

    ReplyDelete
  35. Filip_MNE15 June 2026 at 15:29

    I would have liked more if they swaped Pinheiro and Tejera appointments

    ReplyDelete
  36. Chefren15 June 2026 at 15:36

    Focus on Torii Penso. This is a match in which both teams need a win after losing their opening game, making it a decisive one. However, neither side is considered among the favorites in the group. As someone else has already pointed out, many people will probably prefer to watch Mexico - South Korea.
    All things considered, this appointment is certainly beyond expectations in my view, and it could suggest the possibility of a longer tournament run if she delivers strong performances in the matches that follow (something I personally didn't consider a given). Even though Mexico - South Korea is the higher profile fixture, this is instead the most important match in the group.
    It will be interesting to see how the American referee handles the very physical and rather raw style of play displayed by South Africa in their opening match, should they approach this game in the same way.
    Next, we will have Tejera for the other group fixture. Both teams already have three points and, with a victory, could qualify.
    Even if they don't, they would still have the advantage of a final opportunity. It is a good appointment for the South American referee, enhanced by the fact that one of the teams is the host nation.
    After that, Pinheiro makes his tournament debut in an all UEFA clash between two teams that got one point from their opening match. Switzerland should be the favorite on paper, although we saw how much they struggled in their first game. Another South American referee has been assigned to Canada, like Tejera with Mexico, but on paper this appears to be a less demanding assignment against Qatar.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Philipp S15 June 2026 at 15:41

    A bit surprising that Canada and Mexico again get a CONMEBOL referee, although UEFA was possible here, but not on MD3 for them (if confed neutrality holds).

    I think, for all four referees on Thursday, one can say that these are good appointments on their respective WC debut given they aren't at the very top of their confederation.
    Not the most sonorous games, but all interesting for one reason or another (group standings, hosts).

    ReplyDelete
  38. Philipp S15 June 2026 at 15:48

    Kawana and Rojas have technically swapped regions compared to their previous game (although Atlanta is not too far from the central region). Maybe to have the same language as the main referee (although this hasn't been considered much in previous games).
    Araki remains in Los Angeles, while Ortega crosses the border again and returns to Vancouver.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Unknown15 June 2026 at 16:00

    I also expected a UEFA official for the games in Mexico and Canada. Maybe the fact that Mexico and S.Korea are both on 3 points makes that match-up less important for qualification (same applies to host Canada and to USA vs Australia). Before the tournament started, I pencilled an experienced name for USA-Australia (a returnee in category Oliver/Taylor/Marciniak), but now it seems it will be a World Cup newcomer.

    Brazil only have 1 point, so we might see a European referee for Brazil vs Haiti(?), which I wouldn’t have expected before the tournament.

    I’m also curious about Argentina vs Austria. If Argentina win their first game, a conf. neutral referee seems likely in the 2nd game. If not… well, you know.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Bgymn15 June 2026 at 16:01

    Predictions for tmrw

    USA Australia Zwayer
    Turkey Paraguay Barton
    Scotland Morocco Tantashev
    Brazil Haiti Kovacs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Simeon Vinchev16 June 2026 at 13:10

      My prediction

      USA - Australia Kovacs
      Scotland - Morocco Tantashev
      Brazil - Haiti Eskas
      Türkiye - Paraguay Barton

      Delete
    2. Bundesligafan16 June 2026 at 15:52

      Two correct predictions very good!

      Delete
  41. Philipp S15 June 2026 at 17:43

    Alshehri for Faghani is interesting, because
    - it shows that FIFA wasn't too unhappy with his work in HAI-SCO
    - it's not the Australian Evans, maybe because of his gesture

    Also Villareal in Faghani's VAR team: Nice to see this possible in spite of political events.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chefren15 June 2026 at 17:59

      I didn't want to post about the gesture because no confirmation about the action by FIFA, but it seems so.
      However in short, you must be a very stupid person if you make such a thing before a WC game to cameras. Really sorry to say that. But in case, I would undestand Collina disappointment.

      Delete
    2. osmanabbot16 June 2026 at 00:25

      Video assistant referee Shaun Evans has denied "intentionally" making a hand gesture "to communicate a message, affiliation, game or belief of any kind" after he was cleared by a Fifa investigation.
      https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c0ryzjl1jlyo

      Delete
    3. Chefren16 June 2026 at 16:48

      I'm not judging, but it seems to me that if you asked someone why they did this, they expected them to confess? I believe the Australian is in good faith in all cases, but if this is FIFA approach, it seems strange to me: does an interrogation clarify everything? So anyone is free to make a move and then say no, absolutely not, and then everything's fine?
      Sure, I'm making it easy, and "in dubio pro reo," but at the end of the day, the Australian is now famous in the media for this.
      My position: either you make a strong decision, or you don't conduct any interrogation and let it go as it is.

      Delete
    4. osmanabbot16 June 2026 at 16:54

      I find the response from Evans to be at best "unconvincing" and if I'm cynical downright unbelievable. To blame it on a "uncontrollable twitch" seems not the most convincing response but only he will know what the meaning or intent was. Id he was trying to be "funny" then own it and take the fallout from it but I do feel it leaves questions unanswered but most people outwith the refereeing community simply will accept and move on and that is I suppose what FIFA want and they'll be happy with that.

      Delete
  42. Krystian16 June 2026 at 14:40

    USA - AUS: Felix Zwayer
    SCO - MAR: Ilgiz Tantashew
    BRA - HAI: Alejandro Hernandez
    TUR - PAR: Ivan Barton

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter16 June 2026 at 15:10

      Assuming that of the four remaining referees Michael Oliver is being rested due to injury, it raises the suspicion that the all-UEFA NED-SWE derby could go to István Kovács.

      Delete
    2. BritRef16 June 2026 at 15:22

      So now just 5 referees with no match…
      Oliver
      Kovacs
      Benitez
      Fischer
      Eskas
      Plus 4 others not yet used as 4th official…
      Claus
      Herrera
      Ma
      Al-Ali
      It will be interesting to see how these are used

      Delete
    3. HB230016 June 2026 at 15:40

      Sandro scharer ??

      Delete
    4. Swiss_reffan16 June 2026 at 15:52

      He meant five referees without a match who are supposed to be main referees.

      Delete
    5. HB230016 June 2026 at 16:11

      So Is there no chance for Sandro Schärer becoming a main referee? He is going to be 4th official three times in a row.

      Delete
    6. Bgymn16 June 2026 at 17:07

      I wonder how serious olivers injury is

      Delete
  43. Bgymn16 June 2026 at 16:36

    Quite happy with my predictions yday 3/4.

    My predictions for tmrw,

    Netherlands Sweden Kovacs
    Tunisia Japan Benitez
    Germany Ivory Coast Fischer
    Ecuador Curacao Eskas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philipp S16 June 2026 at 18:23

      Mine are
      NED-SWE: Oliver
      GER-CIV: Benitez
      ECU-CUW: Eskas
      TUN-JAP: Kovacs

      Delete
    2. Simeon Vinchev16 June 2026 at 19:37

      Predictions

      Netherlands - Sweden Oliver
      Germany - Ivory Coast Fischer
      Ecuador - Curacao Eskas
      Tunisia - Japan Kovacs

      Delete
  44. Chefren16 June 2026 at 16:45

    A mixed - Spanish - Swiss team is back again after CL final.
    It's the fate :)
    I wasn't sure about Hernandez Hernandez getting a game after his fourth official assignment, but he is there.
    Brazil - Haiti: if we don't think about what has happened on MD1, it's clearly a choice that one could have expected, Brazil very favorite.
    But we have a bit of context making it slightly different (but maybe not that much under the eyes of Collina and Busacca?): Brazil with an unexpected draw on MD1, but now against a definitely weaker opponent, and Haiti. They made complaints after Ghorbal performance against Scotland. Highly regarded Haitian politicians expressed their feeling on social media. If this is not a surprise at WC, I think we can absolutely say that it is a surprise in this case if we look at the team which made that: Haiti. 100% unexpected. But honestly, they weren't 100% wrong in complaining, the officiating was very poor by the Algerian.
    Then, about the other assignments, we have the Uzbek referee with a big game if you ask me, Scotland with 3 points and Morocco in top form after the draw against Brazil, that's definitely a good one, OK, still in the middle range, but a good one.
    Barton with a game in which both teams should win after two defeats on MD1. Crucial for sure.
    And Zwayer, last but not least, absolutely, very good game. The host, USA, against Australia, both with three points. Nice for the German.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sarish17 June 2026 at 01:07

      Why do people say ' unexpected draw ' in the last few years Morocco has been doing better than Brazil or equal to in major tournaments. Their ranking is side by side. I definitely saw a high chance that Morocco could get something against Brazil.

      Also curious why Zwayer a known match fixer is being trusted with ' good ' matches

      Delete
  45. Peter16 June 2026 at 17:32

    (Structurally) completely expected appointments, yet still disappointing in my opinion: What is FIFA trying to tell us by traditionally assigning all-UEFA matchups exclusively to UEFA referees (at least in the group stage)? UEFA-CONMEBOL matchups often go to CONCACAF referees, and UEFA-CONCACAF matchups often go to CONMEBOL referees, even when the referee and one of the teams share the same (Spanish) official language. With so many combinatorial possibilities, you could really get more creative. Personally, I would have, for example, tried sending Alireza Faghani to Mexico or Canada given the political situation. Even for a referee with his experience, there would have been quite attractive matchups, like Germany vs. Cote d'Ivoire.

    ReplyDelete
  46. TotallyRandom16 June 2026 at 18:03

    I think so far the appointments reflect what Mikael wrote in one of his analyses: Collina, but especially Busacca do not really like Kovacs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bgymn16 June 2026 at 18:25

      Because he is card friendly. They would rather have refs that turn a blind eye on clear yc's for game to "flow"

      Delete
    2. Chefren16 June 2026 at 18:28

      I was thinking about that as well.
      Honestly, one must admit that a UEFA referee had to be the last to be appointed; OK, it's the Romanian.
      He had a very poor Club World Cup one year ago, but I don't think that this is the first argument and it would be unfair.
      What we can say is that indeed Collina and Busacca don't like referees like him who go with cards and can create games like the famous CZE - TUR at EURO 2024.
      And under this point of view, but I don't want to go too far away, three red cards in the opener by Sampaio were surely not a good thing to be watched for them..

      Delete
    3. Peter16 June 2026 at 19:43

      Honestly, I thought exactly the opposite: That István Kovács refereed last year's Champions League final involving PSG and then, just two weeks later, handled an all-UEFA derby involving PSG again at the Club World Cup, fit perfectly into this picture for me of how biased FIFA acts. How anyone comes up with the idea of nominating basically the same referee for the same team so closely together (I would have chosen a referee from a different confederation for the Atlético Madrid match) seemed to me like extreme favoritism toward the Romanian. Even within Europe, I didn’t find his long-term performance that exceptional to justify trusting him, as the first and only referee so far, with the finals in the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. As for the World Cup, we still don’t know which games he’ll officiate - someone has to have his first match last, after all.

      Delete
    4. TotallyRandom16 June 2026 at 20:23

      @Peter, that appointment was an example of very poor management. A longer break was required.

      Delete
    5. Unknown16 June 2026 at 20:36

      I don’t think it is a bad sign for him. Bear in mind, Kovacs is not blocked by the Romanian/Hungarian teams, so he can work MD2 + MD3 and if things go well potentially a QF.

      IIRC its Kovacs’ first World Cup in the middle. Its interesting though, it seems FIFA tends to favor the returning referees. The 2022 *returnees* were all assigned in MD1 (even Oliver, initially)

      Delete
  47. VG16 June 2026 at 18:04

    After 16 matches, not even 1 penalty so far? Or did I miss one?

    ReplyDelete
  48. OldSwissLady16 June 2026 at 19:26

    About tonight's referees. Schaerer was rated a top 10 referee on the world last year, but he's only a fourth official tonight. Will he be assigned a head referee match during this WC, or is there something blocking him?
    And honestly, now that I read this site, I am more interested in the refereeing than most of the matches. Well at least until Croatia plays tomorrow.
    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OldSwissLady16 June 2026 at 19:32

      One thought. As Swiss, it's likely Schaerer is fluent in French as well as English.

      Delete
    2. Swiss_reffan16 June 2026 at 23:02

      I‘m not so sure that Schärer is fluent in French. Firstly, he grew up in German-speaking Switzerland, where it’s not very likely that people speak French fluently. Secondly, I once saw a short documentary about Schärer’s communications during a Servette Geneva match. As I recall, he spoke English with the Servette captain, who is a native French speaker.

      Delete
  49. M17 June 2026 at 15:01

    What surprises me is no reaction or outrage at all,but then again it's Messi who is in question and rather than RC,story will be about his brillance and hattrick.

    Also,many Marciniak fans are defending his no card reaction and saying he had great game which is total nonsense.

    Any other player than Messi that's clear RC,as we saw whole season.

    There is 0 tolerance on fouls like this,but tonight we saw totally different case.

    Why?

    We all know why,but whenever some top players made some big tackle or something worthy of a RC some refs were not afraid to show it and to show them no one is bigger than football and no one can bend the rules.
    Ronaldo vs Ireland,Vinicius vs Valencia,Neymar was also subject of RC's sometime,Suarez also,Modric so why should Messi be spared?

    Or any Argentinian that made tackle like that?

    Don't get me wrong,great hattrick and once again proved that he is one of the greats.

    But that all would not happened if Marciniak and his crew were a lot braver.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Referee analyst17 June 2026 at 15:14

      + 1

      Delete
    2. Sarish17 June 2026 at 15:43

      Marciniak is an excellent referee when not assigned to cover up for FIFA's poster child

      Delete
    3. adiro17 June 2026 at 19:56

      I think, Marciniak didn't detect what kind of foul it was; he just noticed there was an infrigement and awarded (correctly) a free kick.

      Delete
  50. Philipp S17 June 2026 at 15:12

    Oliver, Benitez and Kovacs could be expected here as some of the referees without game (while Fischer instead of Benitez would have been equally possible).
    Ma Ning is the surprise here, because he only has one AR and therefore was expected as support referee. However, it was already doubtful whether ECU-CUW really needed an UEFA referee, so the choice makes sense.
    Important to note, that Ma didn't have any games as 4th official, so possible that he was never planned as support only, but as a "normal" referee - meaning a second game is not impossible.

    This should also mean, that Claus, Herrera and Al-Ali are more likely than ever to get a game.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peter17 June 2026 at 15:30

      I would have expected that Michael Oliver would be rested longer due to his injury (of unknown severity) and only come into play once other referees have already had their second match. This rather short-term appointment could mean that he is now taking over from François Letexier for Netherlands - Sweden, who was actually supposed to handle it.

      Delete
    2. Philipp S17 June 2026 at 16:02

      What do you mean by "rather short-term appointment"?

      Yes, quite possible, that Letexier was the idea for NED-SWE (if they even had planned MD2 so early).

      Good, that Oliver's injury wasn't too bad, so he can still follow a normal path at the tournament (probably with an important MD3 game next)

      Delete
    3. Peter17 June 2026 at 17:20

      @Philipp: I had expected Michael Oliver to be out for a longer period and that he might make his first and only appearance in the group stage on the third matchday. In that sense, I think maybe just his and François Letexier's games were swapped, and it wasn't 'completely' reassigned on a large scale.

      Delete
  51. Filip_MNE17 June 2026 at 15:36

    Now it seems to me that some referees will go to knockout stages after just one group stage game.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philipp S17 June 2026 at 15:56

      Maybe. But it could also mean, that several referees will only get one game in total. And R32 games could still be third games for the referees.
      Just looking at numbers: If we indeed land at 41 referees with GS games, 31 of them could get a second GS game (and 10 with only one game appears realistic). Then you could pick your 24 referees for R32 and R16 from those 31. Could be even less than 24, if some work in R32 and R16.

      Delete
    2. Sarish17 June 2026 at 16:21

      Sorry weren't there 37 referees that were planned + Ma Ning (unplanned) = 38? Who's the other 3?

      Delete
    3. Philipp S17 June 2026 at 16:40

      I am thinking of Al-Ali, Claus and Herrera, who also haven't featured as 4th official yet and therefore are in the same situation as Ma was before today.
      I think, that it's more likely than not now that they will get a game. Unless there is some other explanation for their absence, of course.

      Delete
    4. Sarish17 June 2026 at 17:18

      Oh that's interesting I never saw it that way . Fair enough would be interesting to see if the 10 that only gets 1 game - are ones who are not highly regarded ( unlikely to progress ) or referees who are going to go ' direct ' to the KO stages

      Delete
    5. Beta17 June 2026 at 20:13

      probably will be a mix of both.

      Delete
    6. Sarish18 June 2026 at 15:10

      Spot on Philipp

      Delete
  52. EricX17 June 2026 at 15:57

    Is Eskas the only referee without a game so far?

    ReplyDelete
  53. K Thomas17 June 2026 at 16:51

    Good to read Oliver's name so soon, his replacement last week must have been highly precautionary. A nice looking all-UEFA clash this time.

    Maybe I'm wrong but I don't remember Oliver ever missing EPL matches through injury, he's lucky to ever get a week off. Very unfortunate to have the timing of this injury, not only for Oliver but Burt and Mainwaring too of course. Glad for them all it was minor.

    Assuming Letexier would have originally received this appointment, both can continue expected paths.

    ReplyDelete
  54. ScotRef17 June 2026 at 17:30

    Please comment down below as I want to know what people on this blog think as it’s being discussed above! In tournaments such as this one, no matter the game do you prefer a referee that turns his head on many tackles and doesn’t produce very clear cards or the contrary, refs such as Kovacs. I understand it depends on the game but we are at a World Cup , every match is fiery. I think I know what FIFA prefer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. M17 June 2026 at 18:52

      I rather preferee someone loke Siebert and Kovacs in any way possible.

      And this no card notion us ridiculous, cause FIFA have changed the rules and all cards are being erased after group stage,not until semifinal like before.

      So players are not being careful with their tackles then why should refs be?

      This thing that everyone is lenient is telling me couple of things
      They are hoping for Final and that's why they don't want spotlight.

      Fifa and their criterium which is turn blind eye on everything.


      So that's been so frustrating to watch in terms of refereeing performances.

      Some may like,some may don't like it.

      I dont like that lenient approach and hoepfully something changes as we go further and further in tournament.

      Delete
  55. Unknown17 June 2026 at 17:56

    Do people still think Argentina VS Austria will get a confederation neutral referee?

    Barton: not enough rest. Faghani: maybe, but after yesterday? Elfath: not sure this game fits him, and it’s Dallas again after NED-JPN. That leaves Ramos? He had a game yesterday 16 June, so it’s possible. But we must consider he could get a match on home soil (like Elfath), meaning a 2nd game in Mexico. So does ARG-AUT end up being a European referee after all?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chefren17 June 2026 at 18:49

      I don't understand why so much overfocus on this game.
      I think the argument of a referee who already got a game at same venue is not valid at all, if they want, they just assign him again. No issues.
      However, there could be a surprise after the early games we saw. Take a look at a country with 100 million people and one very famous river...

      Delete
    2. Unknown17 June 2026 at 19:15

      True!

      The reason I’m focusing on this particular match is that Argentina only had European referees in 2022 (which feels odd, since other countries can’t demand this), and the available options seem limited. Btw, ARG-AUT has all the ingredients to be a very fast and dynamic game - AUT’s high press will create a very open game and that is why Elfath and Faghani are less likely too. Ramos is the best option tbh.

      Delete
    3. Peter17 June 2026 at 22:27

      I also think this focus on Argentina and European referees is exaggerated. Already at the 2024 Olympics, all of Argentina's matches were officiated by confederationally neutral referees: In the group stage, Dahane Beida handled the game against the Ukraine, and in the quarterfinals, Ilgiz Tantashev took charge of the rematch of the 2022 World Cup final against France.

      Delete
  56. Beta17 June 2026 at 20:14

    How many assignments does a referee usually get at a World Cup? Is it closer to 1 or 2? What is most assignments 3 or 4?

    ReplyDelete
  57. Philipp S17 June 2026 at 23:27

    Predictions for Sunday
    ESP-KSA: Fischer
    BEL-IRN: Herrera
    URU-CPV: Eskas
    NZL-EGY: Al-Ali

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Castrilliman18 June 2026 at 00:39

      Barton with a strong game and good to see Ning (China) finally appointed after x2 other WC as only 4th, so nice to see him with game.

      Just just x5 left ? ?
      Herrera (Arg)
      Claus (Brz)
      Fischer (Can/USA)
      Eskas (Nor)
      Al Ali (Sau)

      For me on paper the two strongest refs Herrera and Claus without a game so far, and looking forward to both of those powerhouses taking their first game.

      Delete
  58. Filip_MNE18 June 2026 at 14:39

    A lot of work for Qatari ARs

    ReplyDelete
  59. Adams A.A.18 June 2026 at 14:41

    It is obvious that certain referees aren't going to officiate more than one match in this tournament

    ReplyDelete
  60. Chefren18 June 2026 at 14:42

    Big power for Brazil and Argentina... definitely, then if one wants to read in a different way Claus assignment, it could be said that it's not a good news for Sampaio. But looking at Argentina's management, that is similar, the answer should be that both federations take definitely everything.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philipp S18 June 2026 at 15:17

      Given that they didn't work as 4th official, games for Claus, Herrera and Al-Ali probably were planned from the beginning and our assumption as support officials was wrong.
      So I don't think, this is a reaction to performances in any way.

      I hope, they have a fair chance to achieve more and aren't just determined for one game.

      The ARs mean, that Tello, Abatti and Al-Jassim won't work on MD2, but that's not really a problem.

      Delete
  61. Filip_MNE18 June 2026 at 15:11

    I would guess that Akcho, Beida, Hernandez, Fischer (or Penso), Ma, Al Ali and Ghorbal (based on performance) will be with one game, unless some of others don't go straight to knockout stages without second group stage game

    ReplyDelete
  62. Tevinjm18 June 2026 at 15:18

    I think this is a bad practice by FIFA two countries from the same confederation to have 3 referees each. It feels wrong even if one of the three is taking 1 appointment

    ReplyDelete
  63. Peter18 June 2026 at 15:22

    I just watched a video of the jersey presentation to István Kovács for the Tunisia - Japan match: His (pink) jersey will be decorated with gold stripes and patches because it’s the 1,000th World Cup match – just a few days ago people were still discussing why FIFA seems to be so harsh on him (I actually saw it the exact opposite): He actually seems to be held in high regard by Mr. Collina and Mr. Busacca …

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Filip_MNE18 June 2026 at 16:34

      I guess pink jersey is for special occasion games only

      Delete
    2. Philipp S18 June 2026 at 16:50

      It will be the orange kit (which btw hasn't been used on MD1) in TUN-JAP.

      And I don't think the referee appointment in that game neccessarily has a special meaning. Could just be appointed like any other game and it happened to be the 1000th.

      Delete
    3. Philipp S18 June 2026 at 16:53

      I mean, it's orange in the video.
      Interestingly in the pre-tournament file, the green kit was planned for the game (and the Tunisian GK is in orange).

      Delete
    4. Bgymn18 June 2026 at 17:07

      Video link?

      Delete
    5. RPC18 June 2026 at 17:25

      https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1082345944123562&set=pcb.1082346214123535

      Delete
    6. Peter18 June 2026 at 17:39

      I saw the video on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZthW8Ruws3/

      Delete
    7. Florentin18 June 2026 at 19:06

      Collina mentions right from the start that this is just a coincidence. And its pretty clear that Kovacs is not that well seen by FIFA…

      Delete
    8. Bgymn18 June 2026 at 19:32

      U can see from the vid collina contempt for kovacs.

      Delete
  64. Philipp S18 June 2026 at 20:46

    So the referee distribution now is
    14 UEFA
    10 CONMEBOL
    6 CONCACAF (including Fischer)
    6 AFC
    5 CAF

    ReplyDelete
  65. Chefren18 June 2026 at 22:10

    Strange to see the Qatari VAR with Barton, let's hope a good performance like the referee from same nation had in Portugal - DR Congo. Then, we have USA VAR for the Uzbek referee (my feeling is that they don't want to spoil him from the room, while they have more trust in Barton as pitch referee, so Asian VAR for him, but that's of course only speculation...).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. osmanabbot18 June 2026 at 23:00

      Fairly sensible appointing for those two games in all honesty. After the VAR decisions that benefited Scotland and impacted Haiti on MD1 it's no surprise to see more established VAR's from UEFA (Del Cerro Grande for BRA- HAI) and from CONCACAF (Villarreal for SCO-MOR). I don't know much about the Uzbek official but Barton is a fairly trustworthy name so I concur with that assessment even if it is only speculation.

      Delete
    2. Philipp S18 June 2026 at 23:03

      Villareal wasn't possible for Barton, because USA are in the same group. However, one of the Mexican VARs would have been the more obvious choice.
      Speaking of them, Pacheco hasn't been appointed in the three last sets. Was there a problem in IRQ-NOR?

      Delete
    3. osmanabbot18 June 2026 at 23:06

      Having watched that game, the issues lay with the on field referee than VAR. I know Villarreal couldnt VAR for Barton. I was referring to Group C in my initial comment before referring to the last point Chefren initially made.

      Delete
  66. Chefren18 June 2026 at 22:11

    Next argument: after the opener, Gallo didn't get a second game as VAR, am I wrong? We will see when he will get the next one (if...).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. osmanabbot18 June 2026 at 23:08

      I suppose that will depend if FIFA find the "blame" to be with Sampaio or Gallo. I would expect Gallo not to feature as main VAR if he reappears (speculation of course), I think they'll back Sampaio over Gallo (again speculation and my own opinion)

      Delete
  67. Philipp S18 June 2026 at 23:09

    Predictions for Monday
    ARG-AUT: Faghani
    FRA-IRQ: Fischer
    NOR-SEN: Elfath
    JOR-ALG: Mariani

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alfie7519 June 2026 at 12:47

      ARG-AUT: Martinez
      FRA-IRQ: Omar
      NOR-SEN: Fischer
      JOR-ALG: Makkelie

      Delete
    2. Simeon Vinchev19 June 2026 at 13:15

      Prediction

      Argentina - Austria Faghani
      France - Iraq Amin Omar
      Norway - Senegal Fischer
      Jordan - Algeria Mariani

      Delete
  68. Fritz19 June 2026 at 04:33

    Why did the some referees only have 1 AR, if they are used as 4O and 5O, but now are appointed as main referees, too, but with only one AR? FIFA could have nominated 2 ARs, now they have to "borrow" one AR from another referee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chefren19 June 2026 at 05:06

      Yes, this means that the process of selection shouldn't be taken so seriously, WC comes and they do as they want. And of course more than that, referees called to officiate games after having skipped all preselection and without having attended previous FIFA tournament. It's not fair for the others with a long and full experience.

      Delete
  69. Peter19 June 2026 at 11:58

    With FIFA unexpectedly expanding its pool of referees, I wonder if Kawana-Vaugh will also officiate a match. With over 40 referees and 104 games, I think it would be disproportionate to completely exclude OFC. While there are hardly any meaningless fixtures, from today's perspective, Mexico vs. the Czech Republic could be a match he could be assigned. Further, more suitable games may arise during the second matchday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alfie7519 June 2026 at 12:52

      I wouldn't rule it out. It does seem though that he's being used as a reserve - and, has been appointed a few times in that role. Whereas Ali Ali, Ning, Claus & Herrera weren't appointed at all.

      Delete
  70. Peter19 June 2026 at 11:59

    Waugh

    ReplyDelete
  71. Peter19 June 2026 at 14:50

    I think Chefren had the perfect instinct for ARG - AUT with his hint about the country with 100 million inhabitants and a very well-known river. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chefren19 June 2026 at 15:02

      :) Rare case of predictable assignment at this tournament, 100% performance principle and a step above for the Egyptian after first game, perfect game.

      Delete
  72. osmanabbot19 June 2026 at 14:51

    Sampaio gets a second game. (Will be interesting if Gallo is VAR or not)
    Fischer makes his debut in what should be a straight forward game.
    Amin gets the Argentina game, deservedly so in my opinion following an excellent first showing. Bigger test for the Egyptian now. Vincic with a lower key second game in my opinion but a good opportunity to get back on track for the later KO stages.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Oliver19 June 2026 at 14:53

    Hmmm hidden match for Vincic

    ReplyDelete
  74. Filip_MNE19 June 2026 at 14:57

    First referees that we saw in the tournament are also first that appear second time. Sampaio with high profile and important for both teams game resolves question how Colina assessed his opening game. Mohamed Omar also deserved match that determines first place in the group after his performance in Kor Cze. Low profile game for Vincic. Not sure is it "hiding" him before knockout stages or dissatisfaction with his first performance.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Refsy19 June 2026 at 15:03

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXbbJsdjG_Q/?igsh=NHFkMzFncTE1aHh4

    ReplyDelete
  76. Nerazzuri19 June 2026 at 15:03

    Another big game for Sampaio.. is he a finals candidate.?

    ReplyDelete
  77. Ref Fot19 June 2026 at 15:21

    Well, big game for Sampaio. For Vincic, very hard game between Jordan and Algeria, which will be very important for Knock out phase dreams for both teams, and test for Knock out stage for Vincic. I am proud becouse i strongly defend Sampiao performance here.

    ReplyDelete
  78. ScotRef19 June 2026 at 15:54

    If Sampaio performs well in this very important match he will be the favourite for the final surely?

    ReplyDelete
  79. Simeon Vinchev19 June 2026 at 16:52

    Prediction Tuesday

    Portugal - Uzbekistan Martinez
    England - Ghana Ramos
    Panama - Croatia Falcon
    Colombia - DR Congo Makkelie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alfie7519 June 2026 at 18:06

      I's agree pretty much bar
      Portugal - Uzbekistan Martinez w Tom
      England - Ghana Ramos or Elfath w Garcia
      Panama - Croatia Tello w Al Turais
      Colombia - DR Congo Makkelie w Calderon

      Delete
    2. Philipp S19 June 2026 at 19:35

      @Alfie: Tello is unlikely, because one of his ARs works with Herrera on Sunday.

      Mine are
      POR-UZB: Elfath
      ENG-GHA: Makhadmeh
      PAN-CRO: Falcon
      COL-COD: Letexier

      Delete
    3. Alfie7519 June 2026 at 23:13

      Oh completely missed that - So Falcon or Valenzuela I can also see possibly like you Letexier in the the Colombia game too (however, I'll stick with Makkelie).
      Revised
      Portugal - Uzbekistan Martinez w Tom
      England - Ghana Ramos w Garcia
      Panama - Croatia Valenzuela w Al Turais
      Colombia - DR Congo Makkelie w Calderon

      Delete
  80. HB230019 June 2026 at 17:31

    Another France match for Sandro Schärer as 4th official in a row hmm??" i dont understand why

    ReplyDelete
  81. Chefren19 June 2026 at 17:45

    VAR: another opportunity for Gallo with referee from Paraguay, but he was not appointed.
    Evans has to wait as well, despite of the reports about the "solved issue" by FIFA, I doubt he will get a mediatic game. There would be immediately discussions in case of certain incidents.
    Very likely he will get a very hidden game on MD3 and nothing else, we will see.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philipp S19 June 2026 at 17:52

      The most-telling thing about Gallo will be, whether he works with Sampaio again in FRA-SEN.
      In general, they rotate a lot with VARs, tomorrow again three new names in the main seat and nobody has done more than two games in that role so far.
      And yes, Evans not appearing in any role says something.

      Delete
  82. A1619 June 2026 at 17:59

    Vincic appointment smells of a hidden path

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HB230019 June 2026 at 18:19

      Like what ?

      Delete
    2. A1619 June 2026 at 22:12

      Perhaps hes a final contender on a path, a on paper challenging 1st game that went well and a lot less challenging than expected, now a game which on paper should be easy to handle which will set him up nicely for a R32/16 game, which a good performance in could have the way to a final?

      Delete
    3. A1619 June 2026 at 22:14

      Sampaios pattern is interesting I must say, the big opening game in which he was OK but below the high standard he is capable of setting, good enough for a 2nd game clearly which is a huge tie, it could very well be boom or bust for him. I wonder what the plans are if successful, is he final ready? I dont think so, if hes appointed itll creat a lot of unnecessary noise in the media and social media as they appointing the referee who couldn't speak English and gave red cards in the opening game.

      Delete
  83. TotallyRandom20 June 2026 at 16:56

    Seems like our friend from X wants to keep us in suspence today with late appointments reveal.

    ReplyDelete
  84. Filip_MNE20 June 2026 at 17:09

    Why are today's appointments late? Can it be indicative of something

    ReplyDelete
  85. Mikael W20 June 2026 at 17:15

    FIFA posted about an hour ago "The match officials for @FIFAWorldCup matches 45, 46, 47 and 48 have been appointed. 🤝" but the images were wrong, they were 41-44 again, and after about ten minutes the post was deleted.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Filip_MNE20 June 2026 at 17:46

    Didn't expect second appointment for Atcho, but glad that he got it

    ReplyDelete
  87. TotallyRandom20 June 2026 at 17:49

    It is a shocker to see that Atcho received a 2nd game. Undeserved, what is the appointing policy? Those who give the fewest YCs have priority or what?

    ReplyDelete
  88. Chefren20 June 2026 at 18:05

    I didn't watch Atcho game, it seems as FIFA had different idea about his performance!
    For Mariani a second game, still medium level, surprising DR Congo after MD1, and Colombia with three points. Not a crucial game, maybe they are keeping him for a KO stage assignment.
    On paper, Portugal - Uzbekistan could be a more delicate task than Mariani's one for the Moroccan referee, who rather did quite good in his first appearance.
    And good for Martinez as well after his previious performance.

    Important assignments in VAR rooms: Evans is back, but he will work as AVAR in New Zealand - Egypt, this choice, linked to the appointment of the UAE referee, indicates us that for FIFA this is a very "unimportant game" and almost out of spotlights. It is crucial for Egypt, with a win they could reach an excellent position, but it doesn't seem enough for appointing more.
    And Gallo will work again with a Brazilian referee, Claus this time. So we can say nothing about the performance in the opener by both him and Sampaio, we have to wait.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Josh Robbo4421 June 2026 at 03:46

      I know it's only as AVAR but surprised they went with Evans on NZ v Iran given that even though its AFC/OFC, Australia and NZ are tight as nations and that 2 NZ teams in play in the A-League and the number of A-League players in the NZ team

      Delete
  89. Oliver20 June 2026 at 18:33

    Atcho did not deserve a second game. His refereeing makes games difficult to watch. Considering other “reserves” have been used in the middle, why is this game not appropriate for Al-Turias instead, with Atcho as 4th?

    ReplyDelete
  90. Yifei20 June 2026 at 20:07

    Extremely undeserved 2nd match as referee for Jayed and Archo, both performed horribly in 1st match, especially Atcho, he will whistle 2 fixtures while MA Ning can only whistle one, really unfair.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Chefren20 June 2026 at 20:09

    Maybe it's because the referees from Morocco and Gabon were better than Ghorbal and Beida?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Filip_MNE20 June 2026 at 23:01

      +1

      Delete
    2. Sarish21 June 2026 at 05:22

      10 referees will get 1 game so I think the question would be whether those 2 are in the bottom 10 referees ? I think they may well be

      Delete
  92. osmanabbot20 June 2026 at 22:22

    If I am honest I am surprised to see Jayed and Atcho get a second game, they were better than Ghorbal and lucky in the sense that Beida had the critical OFR right at the end otherwise I doubt we would have seen them again.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Yk20 June 2026 at 23:31

    But if Atcho's performance was "amateurish" as certain people on this blog have asserted, surely Ghorbal and Beida doing poorly wouldn't justify him getting a second appointment? Especially seeing how many CAF referees went home with only 1 match at recent WCs...

    ReplyDelete
  94. Dy21 June 2026 at 02:52

    My prediction for final round

    Bosnia-Qatar : Tello
    Switzland-Canada : Faghani
    Scotland-Brazil : Elfath
    Morocco-Haiti : Letexier
    Czech-Mexico : Al Jassim
    South Korea-Africa : Makkelie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sarish21 June 2026 at 05:24

      Letexier for a low stakes game ? Surely they'd use him for a more impt game, no?

      Delete
  95. Målilla21 June 2026 at 06:30

    We have 88 matches up to R32 and I think Collina try to have minimum two matches for all referees!

    ReplyDelete

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