ไทย
English
中國人
The picture is becoming increasingly clear for the 2026 World Cup, with FIFA having officially announced all match officials selected for this summer's tournament.
World Cup organizers confirmed that 170 officials will be deployed across North America, comprising 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video assistant referees throughout the five-week soccer extravaganza.
All six confederations are represented in the tournament's officiating lineup, though the majority of those selected come from soccer strongholds in Europe and South America. That said, there is also notable representation from the host nations.
Here is a full breakdown of all 52 referees appointed for the 2026 World Cup.
Full List of 2026 World Cup Referees
UEFA (15) and CONMEBOL (12) account for the largest share of referees at this summer's competition. Among Europe's contingent is Polish official Szymon Marciniak, who officiated the 2022 final between France and Argentina in Qatar. François Letexier, who refereed the Euro 2024 final between Spain and England, is also included among the UEFA representatives.
Premier League officials Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor have made the list as anticipated, alongside prominent names such as Clément Turpin, Felix Zwayer, Slavko Vinčić and Alejandro Hernández Hernández.
From South America, Argentina's Darío Herrera, who refereed the 2025 Copa Libertadores final, will be in attendance, as will Brazil's Raphael Claus, who officiated the 2024 Copa América final. Both CONMEBOL heavyweights have three referees each at the tournament—more than any other individual nation.
CONCACAF will be represented by nine referees in total. American pair Tori Penso and Ismail Elfath will have the honor of officiating matches at a landmark home tournament, while Canada's Drew Fischer, a back-to-back MLS Referee of the Year, has predictably earned his place as well. Mexico's contingent includes César Ramos and Katia García—the former having taken charge of the 2025 Liga MX final, and the latter one of just two female referees alongside USA's Penso.
Eight AFC officials and seven CAF referees round out the appointments, though Jean-Jacques Ndala—who refereed the highly contentious 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final—has been left out. New Zealander Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh is the sole OFC representative.
Confederation | No. of Referees | Referees |
|---|---|---|
AFC | 8 | Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan); Ning Ma (China), Alireza Faghani (Australia), Yusuke Araki (Japan), Abdulrahman Al Jassim (Qatar), Khalid Al Turais (Saudi Arabia), Omar Al Ali (United Arab Emirates), Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan) |
CAF | 7 | Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria), Pierre Atcho (Gabon), Amin Mohamed (Egypt), Jalal Jayed (Morocco), Dahane Beida (Mauritania), Omar Abdulkadir Artan (Somalia), Abongile Tom (South Africa) |
CONCACAF | 9 | Drew Fischer (Canada), Juan Calderón (Costa Rica), Hector Said Martínez (Honduras), Oshane Nation (Jamaica), César Ramos (Mexico), Katia García (Mexico), Iván Barton (El Salvador), Ismail Elfath (USA), Tori Penso (USA) |
CONMEBOL | 12 | Yael Falcón Pérez (Argentina), Darío Herrera (Argentina), Facundo Tello (Argentina), Ramon Abatti (Brazil), Raphael Claus (Brazil), Wilton Sampaio (Brazil), Cristian Garay (Chile), Andrés Rojas (Colombia), Juan Gabriel Benítez (Paraguay), Kevin Ortega (Peru), Gustavo Tejera (Uruguay), Jesús Valenzuela (Venezuela) |
OFC | 1 | Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh (New Zealand) |
UEFA | 15 | Michael Oliver (England), Anthony Taylor (England), François Letexier (France), Clément Turpin (France), Felix Zwayer (Germany), Maurizio Mariani (Italy), Danny Makkelie (Netherlands), Espen Eskås (Norway), Szymon Marciniak (Poland), João Pinheiro (Portugal), István Kovács (Romania), Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia), Alejandro Hernández Hernández (Spain), Glenn Nyberg (Sweden), Sandro Schärer (Switzerland) |
When Does the 2026 World Cup Begin?
Soccer fans won't have to wait much longer, with the tournament's opening match scheduled for June 11 between Mexico and South Africa at the Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Mexico.
The final is set to be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 19.