Appointments of match officials at 2026 FIFA World Cup, Round of 32.
Match #73
Round of 32
28 June 2026, 21:00 CET
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
SOUTH AFRICA - CANADA
Referee: João Pinheiro POR
Assistant Referee 1: Bruno Jesus POR
Assistant Referee 2: Luciano Maia POR
Fourth Official: Omar Al Ali UAE
Reserve AR: Mohamed Al Hammadi UAE
Video Assistant Referee:
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1 :
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2 :
Will be interesting to see how FIFA handles games where not all Teams are known. In theory tomorrow Germanys Opponent could be still unknown (only narrowed a bit down), so will they just go with the most likely Opponent or just appoint someone, even if they break Confederation neutrality?
ReplyDeleteWhile it may be unknown, after tomorrow it could only be a max. of 5 other nations so it wouldn't be difficult to still appoint and keep confed. neutrality
DeleteIn my view, João Pinheiro could follow a similar tournament trajectory to his compatriot Olegário Benquerença in 2010, when he - somewhat unexpectedly, at least from my perspective - officiated a quarter-final. Recently, the Portuguese referee has come in for considerable criticism from some. However, I have had the impression that he is held in high regard by FIFA, not least given that he officiated a semi-final at both the 2023 U-17 World Cup and the 2025 U-20 World Cup. If he delivers a convincing performance in the round of 32, I would see him well placed to remain in contention for at least a quarter-final appointment.
ReplyDeleteUSA - Bosnia predictions?
ReplyDeleteCould definitely see Tejera in this appointment . Tejera or Claus for me
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