Referees in charge of 2026 FIFA World Cup UEFA Play-Offs Semifinals, game to be played on Thursday 26 March 2026.
UEFA Playoffs for WC 2026, Semifinals
Thursday 26 March 2026
Path A Semi-Final
20:45 CET - Bergamo (New Balance Arena)
ITALY - NORTHERN IRELAND
Referee: Danny Makkelie NED
Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra NED
Assistant Referee 2: Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official: Jesús Gil Manzano ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Pol van Boekel NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Jeroen Manschot NED
FIFA Referee Assessor: Markus Nobs SUI
FIFA Match Commissioner: Milovan Đukanović MNE
Path A Semi-Final
20:45 CET - Cardiff (Cardiff City Stadium)
WALES - BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Referee: Istvan Kovacs ROU
Assistant Referee 1: Mihai Marius Marica ROU
Assistant Referee 2: Ferencz Tunyogi ROU
Fourth Official: Tobias Stieler GER
Video Assistant Referee: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee:
FIFA Referee Assessor: Marinus Koopman NED
FIFA Match Commissioner: Andrey Medintsev BUL
Path B Semi-Final
20:45 CET - Valencia, ESP (Estadi Ciutat de València)
UKRAINE - SWEDEN
Referee: João Pedro da Silva Pinheiro POR
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Miguel Alves de Jesus POR
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano António Gomes Maia POR
Fourth Official: Erik Lambrechts BEL
Video Assistant Referee: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins POR
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: André Filipe Domingues da Silva Narciso POR
FIFA Referee Assessor: Juan Antonio Fernández Marín ESP
FIFA Match Commissioner: Scott Struthers SCO
Path B Semi-Final
20:45 CET - Warsaw (PGE Narodowy)
POLAND - ALBANIA
Referee: Anthony Taylor ENG
Assistant Referee 1: Gary Beswick ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Adam Nunn ENG
Fourth Official: Donatas Rumšas LTU
Video Assistant Referee: Jarred Gillett AUS/ENG
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Michael Salisbury ENG
FIFA Referee Assessor: Kóstas Kapitanís CYP
FIFA Match Commissioner: Georges Lüchinger LIE
Path C Semi-Final
18:00 CET - Istanbul (Tüpraş Stadyumu)
TÜRKIYE - ROMANIA
Referee: François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Benoît Bastien FRA
Video Assistant Referee:
Assistant Video Assistant Referee:
FIFA Referee Assessor: Elmir Pilav BIH
FIFA Match Commissioner: Emil Ubias CZE
Path C Semi-Final
20:45 CET - Bratislava (Národný futbalový štadión)
SLOVAKIA - KOSOVO
Referee: Espen Andreas Eskås NOR
Assistant Referee 1: Jan Erik Engan NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Isaak Elias Skjeseth Bashevkin NOR
Fourth Official: Nicholas Walsh SCO
Video Assistant Referee: Rob Dieperink NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Clay Ruperti NED
FIFA Referee Assessor: Lucílio Cardoso Cortez Batista POR
FIFA Match Commissioner: István Huszár HUN
Path D Semi-Final
20:45 CET - Copenhagen (Parken - Connected by 3)
DENMARK - NORTH MACEDONIA
Referee: Felix Zwayer GER
Assistant Referee 1: Robert Kempter GER
Assistant Referee 2: Dominik Schaal GER
Fourth Official: Daniel Siebert GER
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Sascha Stegemann GER
FIFA Referee Assessor: William Young SCO
FIFA Match Commissioner: João Morais POR
Path D Semi-Final
20:45 CET - Prague (Fortuna Arena)
CZECH REPUBLIC - REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Referee: Glenn Nyberg SWE
Assistant Referee 1: Mahbod Beigi SWE
Assistant Referee 2: Andreas Söderkvist SWE
Fourth Official: Halil Umut Meler TUR
Video Assistant Referee: Bram Van Driessche BEL
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández ESP
FIFA Referee Assessor: Stefan Meßner AUT
FIFA Match Commissioner: Jacques Antenen SUI
It is confirned Hernández Hernández included in WC seminar. Group 1. I cant update post mow but it's confirmed. Late addition by FIFA committee. More to follow
ReplyDeleteDoes he take the position of marciniak
DeleteOT: Mass arrest are currently happening in Czech football as dozens of people including first league referees have been arrested in suspicion of corruption and match-fixing due to illegal betting. No info about names yet.
ReplyDeleteFIFA referee Jan Všetečka, VAR Miroslav Zelinka and former FIFA Ref Jan Petřík are rumoured to be among those arrested.
DeleteThese three names already confirmed by TV Nova and source it FA ethic committee
DeleteMariani and Peljto from Group 2 of the seminar have no match assigned, while Nyberg from Group 1 is officiating CZE-IRL. How is that possible?
ReplyDeleteThe groups changed on 20th March.
DeleteThe second group is now playoff semifinalists + Marciniak/Peljto.
So possibly, the initial referee for CZE-IRL was moved to Marciniak's final.
DeleteAnd it means Hernandez, Oliver, Turpin, Sanchez, Schärer and Vincic are the options for the finals, right. (And someone could still go to Mexico.) So at least one not obvious appointment will happen.
Mariani as well possible for the finals (and maybe more likely than Schärer and the Spanish refs).
DeleteItaly - N. Ireland: Makkelie
ReplyDeleteWales - Bosnia: Kovacs
Ukraine - Sweden: Pinheiro
Poland - Albania: Taylor
Slovakia - Kosovo: Eskås
Czechia - Ireland: Nyberg
Two names still missing
Makkelie in Italy <3. Very nice appointment
DeleteLetexier is officiating in Turkey, Makkelie in Italy, Kovács in Wales, Pinheiro is refereeing UKR–SWE, Taylor in Poland, Eskås in Slovakia, Zwayer in Denmark, and Nyberg in the Czech Republic.
ReplyDeleteIrfan Peljto has been appointed for the UEFA Nations League play-offs match between Malta and Luxembourg. Realistically speaking, this appointment almost certainly confirms that he won’t be on the final list for the FIFA World Cup.
ReplyDeleteIvan Kružliak will officiate the clash between Gibraltar and Latvia.
I'm really sorry for Peljto, this appointment is a humiliation and should not have happened. Refereeing managers (I mean at UEFA in this instance) shouldn't behave like this.
DeleteTo be honest, both referees appointed to the UNL play-offs are the eliminated WC candidates. Maybe just a nice gesture for the teams involved?
DeleteYou’re right, Mikael. With this move, he’s been more humiliated than if he hadn’t been appointed at all. A referee who officiated the Conference League final last season, handled one of the best matches of last year (RMA–ARS), and after getting only 2 Champions League games out of a possible 12, is now facing this. Unbelievable.
DeleteI still believe he’s better than most elite referees, but it feels like he’s heading towards the same fate as Srdan Jovanović… I’m sorry I even have to say that.
If you are not from Slovenia, Italy, France, Germany, Spain or England, the slightest mistake is enough to send you back to the bottom of Rossetti.
DeleteAs for Hernández Hernández' inclusion:
ReplyDeleteYou prematurely exclude the best elite Spaniard (Gil Manzano), then you deem the other one (Sánchez Martínez) not at the WC-level, so you select the worst one (Hernández Hernández) - and really one of the worst current elite referees, with due respect - for the last-minute seminar when he was not even close to the selection before. You are Collina/Busacca/Velasco (whoever's made this weird move). Find the logic...
... and then tell Siebert(!), Gözübüyük(!), Meler, Peljto that Hdz Hdz is better and deserve the WC nomination more than them. FIFA at its finest.
I claim that if Alejandro Hernández Hernández didn’t have a Spanish passport, he wouldn’t even be in the elite category. What’s going on with FIFA and UEFA?
DeleteThe 4.officials, all from different countries and all of them is elite referees... is this a new decision by UEFA?
ReplyDeleteThis is a common practice that always happens in the play-offs. It’s not the first time.
Deletethanks
DeleteHello admin, I have a question: With the injury to Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, does this mark the end of what might be his last FIFA World Cup appearance? Furthermore, will the inclusion of referee Alejandro Hernandez (Spain) in the Group 1 training squad disappoint many referees? This is because Alejandro Hernandez is more often trained as a video assistant referee (VAR/AVAR) than as a main referee on the field.
ReplyDeleteIf Michael Oliver – probably England's number 1 ahead of Anthony Taylor – were to referee a final, in my opinion only Path C would remain, since Path A (NIR), Path B (Taylor) and Path D (IRL) would be rather unfortunate assignments. At the same time, I wonder which path would be suitable for Slavko Vincic, as there could be a certain geographical proximity in all four of them (Path A: BIH, Path B: ALB, Path C: KOS, Path D: MKD). Maybe rather an inter-confederation play-off for the Slovenian?
ReplyDeletePredictions for finals:
DeleteA: Turpin
B Sánchez Martínez / Mariani
C Oliver
D Vincic
I assume, that Vincic would be OK for ALB (he has refereed them in EURO qualifiers already), as they have not been part of Yugoslavia.
DeleteBut yes, the inter-confed play-offs remains the blackbox.
If there is no UEFA referee, the solution should be like M_ wrote or with B and D switched.
François for the first time in the turkish stadiums.. I think it will also be his first time officiating in such a unique atmosphere. It will be a different experience for him
ReplyDeleteI don't see Mr Anonymous where is ?
ReplyDeleteComing up with a conspiracy theory in 3, 2, 1 ...
DeleteAny European referee involved in the International playoff matches?
ReplyDeleteWellcome Letexier, For me, he is actively the best referee in the world right now.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see Meler at this stage, but it seems impossible, I think only World Cup candidate referees can work , right?
DeleteNot just right now, but there is a very strong case for him being the best referee of all time. Anyone with eyes should see this, the way he moves on the pitch, the sheer elegance. What he has done for refereeing is simply astonishing, he has consistently shown a level far beyond what people thought possible. Monsieur Letexier is one of a kind, and we should enjoy every second of his active career.
DeleteMy friend, do not exaggerate, he is a very good referee, but what you say is now fanboyism and blindly attaching to a referee does not suit this community. Of course, we should support every referee, but we should not be fanboy
Delete@MQ considering Letexier in GOAT discussion is sick, in which world do you live in, as Treff said this is too much even Letexier himself can't comment like this about his impressive career
DeleteHernandez Hernandez's selection is unbelievable. He's never participated in a FIFA tournament, he's refereed very few Champions League matches, he's not currently considered among the top five in Spain, and he's a last-minute addition to the list, and will probably be included in the final list (otherwise, it makes no sense). I think he's a good referee, but far behind Gil Manzano and Sanchez Martinez, and his selection defies all logic. It seems very unfair to other referees who have attended several FIFA tournaments and seminars. At the UEFA and FIFA levels, Hernandez Hernandez hasn't earned his place in a World Cup. I'm baffled.
ReplyDeleteMore Dutch VARs particularly in Path A both semis, and the other one at SLO v KOS UEFA showing some trust to Netherlands.
ReplyDeleteOn Hdz Hdz,alot has been said above which I can agree with 100% .He didn't get the call up on merit but if I was FIFA can't we have a World cup without Spanish officials like what happened in 2018 WC to English officials
DeleteDoes anyone know where I can apply for Spanish citizenship? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI’ll hardly be worse than Hernandez Hernandez, which means I might even make it to the World Cup...
My comment might be offensive, and I apologize for that, but I really have no other comment on these actions by UEFA/FIFA. Unbelievable...
It is an action by FIFA.
DeleteDoes marciniak participate the seminar or he is injury as it was said
DeleteMarciniak is injured, probably won't referee the qualifiers playoffs but for sure his spot in the world cup is guaranteed.
Delete@CarlRDM I have to agree .. Like despiteHernandez Hernandez subpar season, his last two good showings in the UCL completely changed everyone's opinion and he has been selected .. It's a really strange initiative taking by whoever is in charge of this, and completely underserved, as some referees are far better and might not get selected
Noteworthy, that UEFA still doesn't care about the FIFA VAR selection, but just appoints them as they would do in CL.
ReplyDeleteE.g. Martins chosen over Narciso and also van Boekel.
Even for AVAR, some rather "random" appointments, but not the people from the FIFA WC seminar like Schüttengruber, Evangelou, Markovic...
Still hard to imagine, that especially van Boekel and Dingert won't be used in the summer.
Why the appointments for VAR and AVAR in Turkiye-Romania and the AVAR for Wales-Bosnia were not released yet?
DeleteGood question,some answers please
DeleteMy comment on the appointments, on the choices that have been made, and the possible changes that followed, given Marciniak last-minute injury in the Champions League match. And so we will see what his fate will be. I don't believe in a long-term injury, which is obviously more speculation than anything else, but he will certainly have something to check, and we will see when he will be able to recover in order to officiate at the World Cup.
ReplyDeleteI would start with Makkelie in Bergamo for Italy; of course, this is nothing new, once again the Dutch referee meets Italy. It almost feels unnecessary to add that, despite of being Italy - Northern Ireland, given the psychodramas of the past, even against teams rated lower than the national team mentioned, the appointment has clearly been fully secured with this choice. Very few referees can officiate this national team in contexts like this, and the choice would have been limited outside of the Dutchman. We could mention Turpin once again, as well as Marciniak, perhaps Letexier, who however, in terms of style, in my opinion is not 100% suited to matches of this kind involving Italy. Kovács perhaps even less so, given his tendency to somehow step into the spotlight in certain circumstances. But well...
And exactly speaking about the Romanian, moving on to the other match of Path A, he will be in Wales for this clash between Wales and Bosnia-Herzegovina. I would certainly say that they are evenly matched and that this is quite a balanced game in my opinion, so the presence of a more prominent name than what might have been expected on paper makes sense. In my view, it is a match of a higher level compared to those I will mention next, without of course meaning any disrespect to them.
Then we move to Spain, where, as I observed at the moment of the unveiling, there seems to be a geographical choice for the observer, and the same geographical criterion appears to be about the referee selection, with Pinheiro set to officiate this neutral-venue match between Ukraine and Sweden. A very delicate match nonetheless, because obviously the national team from the capital Kyiv, in previous qualification play-offs for major competitions, has not been particularly lucky.
DeleteNext comes Poland–Albania with Taylor; in my opinion this is one of the least interesting matches overall, though once again I say this within the broader context of the set of matches themselves, with the home side widely favored over the visitors, but anything can happen. Taylor, away from the media spotlight, is nonetheless confirmed once again by this appointment, continuing to hold on to his place with determination waiting for WC preselection.
Now about Letexier, I said he might not be considered suitable for Italy games but well, evidently I might have to reconsider that view, because this match involving Türkiye is certainly a sort of first for him. As someone wrote, he is used to somewhat "elegant" and fine matches, whereas this one may well go beyond, and we will see what style he decides to adopt. He could very well start cautioning and sending everyone off, but whether that would be an intelligent choice on his part remains to be seen.
Let's continue with Eskås, the Norwegian, who confirms the great trust placed in him with this match. Obviously it is not among the most exciting fixtures, in my opinion it is not even at the level of Poland–Albania, in fact even lower, but it is absolutely proportionate to the referee level, who deserved this appointment.
Zwayer, of course, was expected after his troubled period, because the German will go to the World Cup, so there is no doubt in that regard. Denmark–North Macedonia: needless to say, we are not talking about elite clashes, but considering the miracles the Balkan national team has produced in recent times, perhaps something could happen, so in any case an important match for him.
Closing the list is Nyberg, the Swedish, who also manages to secure this appointment, appearing as one of the strong candidates for direct selection to the World Cup. After officiating a final of a FIFA competition, we can certainly believe in his chances. A match of medium level in my opinion, tending toward stability. A good one for him, no doubt about that. Perhaps lacking that extra something, if we really want to say so, but I believe the Swedish, referee is somehow ahead, if we compare the Scandinavian referees, clearly ahead of the Norwegian.
The selection of fourth officials in certain respects, is more interesting than the main appointments themselves. Why? Because we have Gil Manzano working with Makkelie in Bergamo. The referee, who was excluded from the World Cup simply because they called practically all the other Spanish referees except him, will find Italy again in a decisive match, even if a semifinal is not a final, and even if only as fourth official. There is still a basic level of trust in him, because here one might have expected a major name even as fourth official, given the significance of the match, it is clear that there is major focus on Italy, so this is how I interpret it. Indeed, he is one of the most experienced names among those appearing as fourth officials in the other matches. He failed in Ukraine - Italy, but then now again in a Italy's crucial game, even if only as fourth official, only for this reason, maybe arguments for making a different choice here, but not a big deal (of course impossibile to see him with Ukraine, for sure...).
DeleteAs for the rest, we certainly have very calibrated choices relative to the matches themselves, such as Stieler, who will be fourth official in Wales; Lambrechts, the Belgian, for the neutral-venue Ukraine match against Sweden; very good also Rumšas, whose presence might not have been expected but appears for Poland–Albania. However, we must also say the same applies to Walsh in Slovakia–Kosovo.
From this analysis, one can exclude referees who can easily have a second officialm from same country being Elite, accompanying them as fourth official, such as Siebert, who could easily be expected as Zwayer fourth official. Likewise, I expect that in the match officiated by Mariani, possibly a final, there will be another Italian as fourth official. At this point it should be Guida, or possibly Massa, but given how things have been managed, one could imagine Guida.
That said, good as well in Prague for Umut Meler, who nonetheless must be very disappointed after this pre-selection process. I believe that if all those incidents had not happened to the Turkish referee, he would be firmly established, because in certain moments he showed an exciting refereeing style. Unfortunately, much was lost afterward, though almost exclusively not due to his own fault, and so that's it. He may still have time in the future to aim for another major competition, but the World Cup, after all, is the World Cup and he will be out from it.
Heartwarming analysis we appreciate its like I was reading a story.
DeleteI take a bow for this kind of work thanks
Fantastic work, indeed. Thanks, Chefren
Delete