Please find below the list of selected officials for 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
 |
| The list of all selected officials |
AFC (5)
Omar Al Ali UAE (Reserve referee)Alireza Faghani IRN
Salman Falahi QAT
Ma Ning CHN (Reserve referee)
Ilgiz Tantashev UZB
CAF (5)
Dahane Beida MTNMustafa Ghorbal ALG
Mutaz Ibrahim LBY (Reserve referee)
Jean-Jacques Ndala COD (Reserve referee)
Issa Sy SEN
CONCACAF (5)
Iván Barton SLV
Drew Fischer CAN
Said Martínez HONTori Penso USA
César Ramos MEX
CONMEBOL (8)
Ramon Abatti Abel BRA
Juan Gabriel Benítez PAR
Yael Cristian Falcón Pérez ARG
Cristián Marcelo Garay Reyes CHI
Wilton Pereira Sampaio BRA
Gustavo Adrián Tejera Capo URU (Reserve referee)
Facundo Raúl Tello Figueroa ARG
Jesús Noel Valenzuela Sáez VEN
OFC (1):
Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waug NZL (Reserve referee)UEFA (11)
Espen Eskas NORIstvan Kovacs ROU
François Letexier FRA
Danny Makkelie NED
Szymon Marciniak POL
Glenn Nyberg SWE
Michael Oliver ENG
Anthony Taylor ENG
Clèment Turpin FRASlavko Vinčić SVN
Felix Zwayer GER
VAR ( 24)
Khamis Al-Marri QAT
Mahmoud Ashour EGY
Ivan Bebek CRO
Jerome Brisard FRA
Bastian Dankert GER
Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Marco Di Bello ITA
Rob Dieperink NED
Hamza El Fariq MAR
Shaun Evans AUS
Nicolás Gallo Barragán COL
Leodán Franklin González Cabrera URU
Tatiana Auxiliadora Guzmán Alguera NCA
Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Juan Ignacio Lara Luco CHI
Hernán Mastrángelo ARG
Khamis Al-Marri QAT
Mahmoud Ashour EGY
Ivan Bebek CRO
Jerome Brisard FRA
Bastian Dankert GER
Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP
Marco Di Bello ITA
Rob Dieperink NED
Hamza El Fariq MAR
Shaun Evans AUS
Nicolás Gallo Barragán COL
Leodán Franklin González Cabrera URU
Tatiana Auxiliadora Guzmán Alguera NCA
Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
Juan Ignacio Lara Luco CHI
Hernán Mastrángelo ARG
Fu Ming CHN
Érick Yair Miranda Galindo MEX
Mohammed Obaid Khadim UAE
Guillermo Pacheco Larios MEX
Juan Ernesto Soto Arevalo VEN
Bram Van Driessche BEL
Armando Villarreal USA
No Italian, no Spanish—two representatives each from England and France, there are Nyberg and Eskas, even Makkelie that some experts on this blog doubt it. Is this payback for the double appointment of Mariani and the appointment of Sánchez Martínez in UCL QF?
ReplyDeleteSomehow, I doubt it. Collina is showing us his version of "integrity" and making Rosetti look even worse.
My question is also why does Ivan Bebek seem to be a trusted VMO in FIFA, but not in UEFA?
"Is this payback for the double appointment of Mariani and the appointment of Sánchez Martínez in UCL QF?"
DeleteIt can only be the other way around if you ask me
I would say that Collina trusts Taylor, even though the Englishman is declining and has some lack of confidence within UEFA. If he wasn't in this competition in June, Schärer or Kruzliak would certainly be there.
DeleteI had a feeling FIFA would trust on the most experienced names, and mainly referees they already know from FIFA tournaments in the past.
ReplyDeleteFIFA CWC will be very different than the average flow-based Champions League matches (and probably World Cup as well). For those of you who watch games in the Arab world regularly: it’s probably more like that. Intercontinental club games between teams from the America’s, Africa, the Arab world, etc. including teams from Portugal and Italy.
For some referees, it could be a huge culture clash and not favorable for their referee style at all.
Excellent career path for Espen Eskas. It seems like he earned a lot of trust in recent months. He was chosen ahead of a lot of participants of the EURO: Meler, Kruzliak, gil Manzano and even Schärer with an UEFA Supercup in his CV. That’s an excellent achievement if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteThere will be twenty-nine main referees. The reserve referees are: Al-Ali (uae), Kawana (nzl), Ma (chn), Mutaz (lby), Ndala (drc) and Tejera (uru).
ReplyDeleteHumiliation for the Chinese referee, again as only reserve in the same role he played at the last World Cup. The selection reads not for a 'Confederations Cup' but rather another full World Cup, among whom the biggest promotions seem for Fallahi (expected, he is better than Al-Jassim), Eskas (expected, well liked at FIFA, very likely Buscca watched him ref impressively Cairo derby from the stands) but most of all Cristian Garay, the high-flyer from Chile whom in my head had been crossed off the WC race by refusing to award a penalty for handball in Ecuador-Jamaica at the last Copa America, a decision which was (correctly) rejected by CONMEBOL. Juan Gabriel Benitez from Paraguay is not so much a surprise as being totally out of the blue, but it appears this all comes back to a story about Caceres, leader in South America.
DeleteIf this selected officials is to be seen as a benchmark for what’s coming next in 2026, then we might already be witnessing a quiet reshaping of the officiating landscape. Established names are being pushed to the fringes, while unexpected contenders begin to step into the spotlight.
DeleteLooking at CONMEBOL, the picture is particularly intriguing: Gustavo Tejera was included only as a reserve, while Andrés Matonte—previously seen as a strong candidate—was left out altogether. Complete absence of a referee from Colombia, despite Rojas having just officiated Argentina-Brazil. From Brazil, Ramon Abatti made the cut, whereas Raphael Claus did not.
In CONCACAF, while Ismail Elfath’s omission may not be a bombshell, it does raise questions about how it might affect his standing ahead of 2026. Will this impact his chances on the biggest stage? For now, it seems the confederation is placing its confidence in César Ramos, a referee previously scrutinized on this very blog, or perhaps Drew Fischer.
Turning to AFC, regional politics seem to once again play a decisive role. Ahmed Al-Kaf, a respected and experienced name, appears to have been passed over yet again—likely due to internal Arab World dynamics. In contrast, young Qatari official Salman Falahi has emerged as the leading figure, edging out compatriots Al Jassim and Omar Al Ali (UAE). East Asia appears to retain its relevance largely through Alireza Faghani, still a mainstay for the confederation. However, the choice of Ma Ning over Yusuke Araki is puzzling—why call up a 46 yo referee just to serve as a reserve? Meanwhile, Ilgiz Tantashev seems poised to step into a bigger role, possibly as Faghani’s successor.
As for CAF, I haven’t followed developments as closely and for UEFA I think more experts on this blog will talk about it.
I forgot to ask, wdyt about spanning interest for next year between each confederation after Seneme left his position and with this selected officials, any thoughts? Did you think Elfath, Faghani still had the chances or new emerging names for the first AFC referee to lead the final or CONCACAF referee to lead the final on his home soil, first CONCACAF referee in a while.
DeleteGot to agree with Andrei Al Kaf is very unfortunate to miss out. As for CAF it’s more or less expected although I was hoping for Artan to be selected over Ghorbal
Delete@Oliver Ghorbal is still CAF's strongest soldier alongside Beida, I don't see why you wanted him to miss out. I also have high hopes for Artan, he really impressed me last AFCON, but I'm not sure he's ready just yet for these kind of appointments. Maybe he could've gotten a place as reserve official, but that's maximum. Let's remember, he's still only 32, he has a long career ahead of him
DeleteHe’s not bad but he’s no Victor Gomes/Gassama who were clearly a cut above the rest in their day. I was hoping fifa would use it as an opportunity for younger referees to gain experience (or those who’ve never had a chance, like Al-Kaf) rather than treat it like THE world cup.
DeleteTo experience there is the U-20 World Cup in Chile and the U-17 World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year, this is the star tournament and occupies the best refereeing.
DeleteCongratulations to all selected officials for this prestigious tournament. An important pre-selection for next year’s World Cup!
ReplyDeleteSvp la liste complet,
ReplyDeleteArbitre
Arbitre Assistant
Arbitre VAR
Arbitre réserve
Just a quick guess for the finals ,just playing here.
ReplyDeleteAssuming 1 european team gets there or maybe even both european teams,maybe we could guess that Tello could be some name for the Final.
He had Euro experience, whistles plenty tough matches with hot atmosphere in Argentina and South America and is one of better Arg refs(Herrera,Rapallini,Tello).
So if we get some teams like Bayern,Real ,Psg I can see Tello with finals.
This post was meant with no disrespect to any teams,just guessing based on performances.
Or maybe even Faghani as a reward for his great career.
Deleteinteresting point, Faghani if he could show strong performance and then got the final I think it could be his final performance before he choose to continue or retire before biggest stage next year and could be turning point for the spanning interest.
DeleteGood to see the that Collina and Busacca make a good selection with no Italian referees.
ReplyDeleteThe choices are a good sign to the world cup in 2026, but then are more referees allowed.
Ma Ning a very good referee to reserve a little bit disappointing.
Two French and two English referee's out of 11 from uefa.
ReplyDeleteFrom a European perspective, the VAR-list with Bebek and Van Driessche surprised me the most. They are not regular names in Champions League, are they? Any big names missing?
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, I underline that it is too early to conclude that no Italians or Spanish will qualify for the World Cup 2026. Some referees will fail this summer and with Collina you never know. This is a wake-up call for Spain and Italy, and without a doubt Rosetti/Carballo will do their utmost best to push a candidate. This is why Mariani and Sánchez are pushed so much now. I think we can already pencil Mariani in the Nations League final four (SF or F), to settle his name.
Indeed in UEFA Club Competitions Ivan Bebek only had one single EL game as VAR this season. But FIFA still seems to have trust in him. What I can remember from times where he was still used more frequently by UEFA is that he is a kind of overactive VAR, calling referees to OFRs even though not 100% clear. This approach fits better into FIFA than UEFA guidelines, which can be an explanation.
DeleteFor the big name missing, Tiago Martins?
DeleteThe top UEFA VARs are split between Women's EURO and CWC.
DeleteEspecially Dingert, di Paolo, Higler, San and Martins.
But yes, Bebek and van Driessche are surprising.
For me, one of the biggest notes regarding VARs this summer is the complete left-out of van Boekel. Neither present at WEURO or CWC. Is this him finally being held accountable for his mistakes after so many second chances?
Deletehttps://x.com/FA_PGMOL/status/1911811880839938417 Looks like James Mainwaring will Oliver's AR2. Dan Cook was his AR2 at the euros and was at the beginning of this season before he got injured. (He's returned in the last few weeks and did the NUFC V MUFC game yesterday with Kavanagh)
ReplyDeleteI am a little surprised by the choice of Taylor, given the low level of his performance in recent years, but perhaps there were not many alternatives. Unfortunately, both Rosetti and Collina himself were unable to ensure adequate generational turnover, always using the same referees for important matches (e.g., with Collina I remember Cakir, Rizzoli, Cakir, Kuipers, Cakir everywhere), and now that those referees are gone the overall quality is low
ReplyDeleteAs a brazilian I don't understand that assignments. Wilton Pereira Sampaio is one of the worst referees in Brazil and is always into trouble. Ramon Abatti Abel is confuse too.
ReplyDeleteI'm also Brazilian, but I follow a different line: Abatti is less flashy, while Sampaio doesn't seem to be the same anymore with increasingly poor performances in the Brazilian championship. I would have chosen Edina instead.
DeleteAny predictions for the opener, Al Ahly vs Inter Miami? I’m leaning towards a European.
ReplyDeleteI’d say Marciniak. Maybe Turpin or even Letexier.
DeleteMy early guess is Vincic.
DeleteContrary to the three mentioned names, he hasn't had a tournament highlight game (opener or final) yet.
But basically every UEFA referee and some of the CONMEBOL referees seem possible there.
Well, there would be many things to say and it's hard, but I will try.
ReplyDeleteAFC
The confederation with most of reserve referees, together with CAF and that's not a case, looking at the recent displays from the Asian referes also in FIFA competitions. A new name from Qatar, as Mikael already analyzed seems to be a relative surprise, given that one could have expected Al Jassim. About Faghani, he's still very liked by Collina. But how many wasted opportunities for him... it's hard to think he could have still chances to refere WC final, but well, he is still there... I would like to understand more about the referee from UZB.
CAF
After the excellent last edition of AFCON, we can understand this selection. The referee from Mauritania presenting himself as big hope. To follow, Ghorbal, who can be described as very strong name from African confederation, and a referee from Senegal, among the most powerful (and I must say rather very good) African schools of refereeing. They manage to present a name in all occasions.
CONCACAF
Tori Penso as full "replacement" of Elfath? After the last news about the US-Moroccan referee, his current status is not clear. The female referee from the US with her assistant referees could attend Men's WC on next year. Let's see whether Ivan Barton will develop more after his previous FIFA tournaments, while the hope about the Mexican is that he can do better...
CONMEBOL
Can't talk about South America, I really don't know that much here.
UEFA
All very big names are there. Apart from them, one must say excellent calls for Eskas (first of all, agree with you) and Nyberg (but one could consider the Swedish as already experienced enough for this one, nevertheless he must now surely improve). No Italian and/or Spanish referee is surely a headline, and in my opinion this represents the current situations of the two countries, that would have surely sent referees to this tournament in normal condition. While I think Collina would have liked to call Guida, he didn't call Mariani because the latter has not still the experience for such tournaments. Spanish referees must work hard to ensure a name for WC because in their case, at least one one them could have been called.
VAR
Ivan Bebek and Bram Van Driessche are the UEFA surprises, but while the Croatian is liked by Collina (unclear what happened with him at UEFA level, after rather a good period), the Belgian was impossible to predict. And he never made big experience in UEFA before in this role, at least like the others, and like Bebek. So, maybe some links with Belgian FA and FIFA, in a way? We can't know.
(to be continued)
The call-ups reflect FIFA's desire to consider this an excellent competition and they have called all the best referees available.
DeleteAs always, there is a UEFA-centrism, now established and declared, compared to the past, with reserve referees who almost always and only come from other confederations and never from the "major" European one.
It is worth remembering that between September and November there will be the editions of the Under-20 and Under-17 World Cups as additional FIFA 2025 competitions, where it is imagined they will be able to call others, but it is clear that the best is currently represented at the Club World Cup.
Well, here is a small summary of the situation in CONCACAF. I know that most people find it difficult to watch the games because of the schedules but here is my objective opinion based on what I have seen of each referee:
ReplyDeleteDrew Fischer (CAN): if there is a referee who today can give you a masterclass (Mexico-Honduras in Nations League, Guadalajara-America in Champions Cup) and tomorrow a disaster (Mexico-Qatar and Guatemala-Jamaica in Gold Cup 2023) it is him, many ups and downs in his performances. A very lenient referee, shows you a card as a last resort, because of it, several games have been complicated throughout his career.
Ivan Barton (SLV): for several the best referee of CONCACAF. Personally, I consider him a great referee, the only thing I don't like about him is his arrogant attitude, always trying to be the center of attention ... but he gives you good performances which is what matters (except Panama-USA in Copa America, Jesus ...) I have high expectations of him in this tournament.
Cesar Ramos (MEX): If we compare Cesar's level today, with his level in the period 2018-2022 we would be talking about another completely different referee. I don't know what's going on with him today, the clearest example LAFC-Inter Miami a few weeks ago... The resume he has is enviable, and much of his appointment is based on that, I'm sure, but today there are better referees in CONCACAF.
Tori Penso (USA): well, the female quota is present. Expected? Completely. She’ll do Frappart's next year, I'm sure. Good performances in the CONCACAF tournaments, I must say. Since Elfath seems to be out of the way, USA No.1 seems to be her destiny. We'll see how he performs... Hoping that Collina doesn't just give her a game and that's it, goodbye.
Said Martínez (HON): I must say that if you ever see the Honduran smiling, make a wish ;). His attitude is serious, cold, without emotions I don't know I don't like it, but it gives him results. The Olympic semifinal, the clear example. Good referee, great physical condition (I don't know why it reminds me of Gil Manzano), young and promising. Except for the Canada-Mexico in Nations League, excellent performances this season.
DeleteIt will be interesting to see the Gold Cup, several important names not available... To be honest, I expected to see Escobar on the list. Calderón, Nation and Escobar himself should be the candidates for the final.
It doesn't change the content, but just for the record Ramos' match was 5 days ago, not "a few weeks." I think it's funny how time can work for us sometimes!
DeleteA word about Penso and the US situation. I think that, unlike Frappart, Penso has a claim here where she's actually doing the top men's matches in CONCACAF now--or at least close to it. Penso has had Champions Cup and Nations League knockout matches, which is more than you can say about Frappart in UEFA. Whether they are warranted or not (after all, Penso is not considered a top 10 MLS referee domestically), at least they are occuring and she's getting the international matches that can justify a FIFA men's appointment. I will also say that she's simply a lot better than Frappart. And I think Collina sees that, too.
Whether she is US's #1 or not is a different question. My understanding is that FIFA still wants Elfath, but he's not fit. Dickerson is the backup plan and Dickerson will be at Gold Cup. Obviously Penso will go to 2026 and get at least one group stage match (I personally think a second is a given, but we shall see). Whether it's Elfath alongside her, Dickerson, or no one is an open question. If it's "no one," then, yes, I think she's probably earmarked for a R32 KO match.
Insofar as the Gold Cup goes, I think you have to consider Garcia as a big name now. And Dickerson will be tested where available. Lopez might also have a beat on a come back of sorts. Nation is, unfortunately in my view, probably the odds-on favorite for the final if he can avoid glaring missteps. The politics of rewarding him and his geographic area are just too straightforward at the moment given all the other assignments.
Of course, I have Garcia in mind, now that Ramos goes to WC and Ortiz is suspended ahe has a great chance of getting several important games if you ask me. And yes, I agree that Penso is better than Frappart.
DeleteI didn’t expect them to basically select what looks like their full top list of officials. I thought they would’ve liked to have more of an opportunity to look at some newer referees, or referees on the fringe, in preparation for 2026.
ReplyDeleteI guess that will be what the fall youth tournaments are for. This selection highlights FIFA’s apparent desire to treat the Club World Club like a really big deal, almost like a World Cup itself.
It’s great to see that FIFA makes its appointments completely independently from UEFA. They don’t base decisions on favoritism from Rosetti or agendas targeting referees. Instead, they take an objective look at performance and quality. Credit to Collina and Busacca, UEFA could definitely learn from them. Also in the way FIFA uses VAR: assessing situations based on clear considerations and applying true football understanding.
ReplyDeleteWrong. Referee selections in FIFA have a massive political/confederational weight, it's just that their choices not necessarily overlap with UEFA's. Political choices are specially blatant in Conmebol & AFC, due to Seneme and Ballan's influence in FIFA RefCom.
DeleteTrue. To think that politics don’t play a role at all in FIFA is wishful thinking. Prime example is UEFA (Orsato) getting the sonorous opener at WC 2022. Seneme slotted the two Brazilian referees in match 2 and 3 (as some sort of compromis?) and I believe the Qatari referee was appointed to the 4th match. Incredible. That’s a game of “preaching to the choir”, in extremis.
DeletePeljto with a double appointment in QFs as well, he will referee Athletic - Rangers.
ReplyDeleteOT: According to Issa Said, it seems the first candidates from West Asia were Ahmed Al Kaf (OMA) and Khalid Al Turais (KSA), but then they were suddenly replaced by Salman Falahi (QAT) and Omar Al Ali (UAE).
ReplyDelete