Please find below the list of selected officials for the FIFA Under 20 World Cup, to be played this year in Chile and to be considered another step on the road to WC 2026 Preselection.
27 September - 19 October 2025
AFC (Asia)
Referees:
AL KAF Ahmed (OMA)
AL TURAIS Khalid (KSA)
NASARUDDIN Nazmi (MAS)
Assistant Referees:
AL AMRI Abu Bakar (OMA)
AL GHAITHI Rashid (OMA)
AL ABAKRY Mohammed (KSA)
AL SHAMMARI Abdulrahim (KSA)
TAN Zairul Khalil (MAS)
ZAINAL ABIDIN Mohamad Muazi (MAS)
CAF (Africa)
Referees:
ARTAN Omar Abdulkadir (SOM)
GAMOUH Youcef (ALG)
JAYED Jalal (MAR)
Assistant Referees:
CHERUIYOT Gilbert (KEN)
MONTENEGRO Abelmiro (STP)
HASSANI Khalil (TUN)
AYIMAVO Eric (BEN)
AZGAOU Lahsen (MAR)
AKARKAD Mostafa (MAR)
CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean)
Referees:
DICKERSON Joe (USA)
GARCIA Katia (MEX)
HERRERA Keylor (CRC)
Assistant Referees:
BLANCHARD Cameron (USA)
BROWN Logan (USA)
RAMIREZ Sandra (MEX)
DIAZ Karen (MEX)
CHOW William (CRC)
RAMIREZ Victor (CRC)
CONMEBOL (South America)
Referees:
ARAGON Augusto (ECU)
HERRERA Dario (ARG)
ROJAS Andres (COL)
TEJERA Gustavo (URU)
Assistant Referees:
VASQUEZ Edison (ECU)
AVILA Danny (ECU)
NAVARRO Cristian (ARG)
SAVORANI José (ARG)
GUZMAN Alexander (COL)
LEON John (COL)
BARREIRO Carlos (URU)
BERISSO Agustín (URU)
UEFA (Europe)
Referees:
MARIANI Maurizio (ITA)
PELJTO Irfan (BIH)
PINHEIRO João (POR)
SANCHEZ MARTINEZ José Maria (ESP)
SCHAERER Sandro (SUI)
Assistant Referees:
BINDONI Daniele (ITA)
TEGONI Alberto (ITA)
IBRISIMBEGOVIC Senad (BIH)
BELJO Davor (BIH)
JESUS Bruno (POR)
MAIA Luciano (POR)
CABAÑERO Raul (ESP)
LOPEZ DE CERAIN Iñigo (ESP)
DE ALMEIDA Stéphane (SUI)
ERNI Jonas (SUI)
So the big news for us as Italian is to read Mariani name, very likely in these months, Guida didn't give reassurances about his long injury and this selection should mean he is out from WC 2026.
ReplyDeleteBut I really can not find a reason why FIFA doesn’t care about Massa at all. I know it was discussed already when he wasn’t preselected but back then I thought about a personal reason not related to refereeing.
DeleteI mean, Massa should actually be ranked quite a bit higher than Mariani according to the prestigious games he referees season for season (this season Atletico-Leverkusen, PSG-Liverpool, Albania-Serbia).
Further more, Mariani is new in Elite Category (even though FIFA probably originally thought about a way earlier promotion but then Guida was promoted).
Someone with an explanation?
Joao pinheiro is selected also I think uefa will select him uefa super cup final
ReplyDeleteSeems like the refs who failed to make the cut for CWC have been selected for this tournament.
ReplyDeleteEager to watch some referees like Al-Kaf (IMO he's clearly among top 3 in Asia, FIFA overlooking him for CWC was scandalous, big opportunity for him), Dickerson and the Africans.
Little surprise on UEFA, maybe one could have expected Gil Manzano instead of Sánchez Martínez as the Murcian attended the last U20 two years ago, even if it was as a last minute substitution due to Schärer's injury. If I'm not mistaken, first FIFA tournament as a field ref for Mariani, Peljto & Schärer (the Swiss was support referee in 2019 U20WC)
Unfortunately again for AFC, too much political nuance in selected officials, especially Nazmi Nasaruddin, simply Salman Falahi 2.0 with IMO worse performance. Al Kaf, indeed should take Falahi spot and for Turais, IMO a solid referee but he didn't jump in too much in his match (it's like Kavanagh).
ReplyDeleteMore interesting from CAF, I don't know how they developed many new names, eventhough they are not trusted enough for FIFA, except Omar Artan who had outstanding performance in AFCON, the later were unknown.
From CONCACAF, after disastrous performance by Cesar Ramos at CWC, I think we have another solid female referees beside Penso, so Penso vs Garcia or both will attend FIFA Men's WC next year?
From UEFA, after Eskas performance, all selected officials from UEFA would be fight to shine, but did we have designated referee from UEFA, maybe Mariani (the oldest) or Peljto (the best among)? What do you think?
I guess that these assignments must be analyzed paired with the ones of the FIFA WC U17, held in November in Qatar; most probably we will se a full different pool of names and the global team assigned for both competitions will give some hints for the next year WC. For example I expect Massa and Gil Manzano at FIFA WC U17 in Qatar to decide who and if will be the italian and the spanish next year. Probably the ugly injury, has definitively ruled out Guida. Concerning the whole pool of selected personally I just see many compensations or small awards but not real input for FIFA WC 26, except the above mentioned italian and spanish. I mean, I cannot image that in UEfa the names used for CWC could be replaced by Pinheiro or Peljto or that Herrera from Argentina could overpass Tello and Falcon, neither that Abatti, Sampaio and Valanzuela could be replaced by Aragon and Tejera. Within CAF, it's quite impossible that Gamouh can replace Ghorbal but Jayed and Artan could e added to Beida to complete the continental pool.
ReplyDeleteWould have been exciting to see Sandro Schärer at the U17 World Championship, in which Portugal is also participating. Then one could have placed bets on whether he and his Assistant Referee Stéphane de Almeida would be appointed for the Portugal match or the parallel game on the last matchday in the group stage before the latter is dismissed again. However, this time the likelihood would not have been very high anyway: Portugal only plays against non-European teams, and in the parallel match between Morocco and New Caledonia on the last matchday, I would expect a less experienced referee from another continent.
ReplyDelete