world cup referee assignments for friday

Media Release

Fédération Internationale de Football Association

FIFA Strasse 20, P.O Box 8044 Zurich, Switzerland, +41 (0) 43 222 7777

36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials appointed for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™

Selected match officials represent highest level of refereeing worldwide

Preparation seminars for selected match officials starting in early summer

Six women’s match officials have been appointed for the first time in World Cup history

Today, the FIFA Referees Committee announced the lists with the names of the selected match officials for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials (VMOs) have been chosen in close cooperation with the six confederations, based on their quality and the performances delivered at FIFA tournaments as well as at other international and domestic competitions in recent years.

“As always, the criteria we have used is ‘quality first’ and the selected match officials represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide,” said the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina. “The 2018 World Cup was very successful, partly because of the high standard of refereeing, and we will do our best to be even better in a few months in Qatar.”

The “Road to Qatar 2022” project started already in 2019, with more than 50 trios considered possible candidates and going through intensive preparation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, this preparation was anything, but easy, as in-presence activities were suspended for a long period.

“The pandemic affected our activities, in particular in 2020 and at the beginning of 2021. Luckily, the World Cup was still quite far, and we had enough time to provide the candidates with good preparation. We are announcing these selections well in advance as we want to work even harder with all those who have been appointed for the FIFA World Cup, monitoring them in the next months. The message is clear: don’t rest on your laurels, keep working hard and prepare yourselves very seriously for the World Cup,” said Collina.

Massimo Busacca, FIFA’s Director of Refereeing, ensures the match officials will receive all the necessary support by FIFA, as their preparation is paramount.

“Thanks to an innovative tracking and support programme, all the match officials can be supervised by FIFA referees’ instructors even more closely and intensively than in previous years. This is a very important factor, from which we expect considerable improvements and progress in view of the FIFA World Cup 2022,” explained Busacca. “In addition to that, there will be tailor-made individual programmes, in particular concerning health and fitness. Each match official will be carefully monitored in the next months with a final assessment on technical, physical and medical aspects to be made shortly before the World Cup, in order to have them in the best conditions when the ball starts rolling in Qatar.”

The selected match officials will participate in early summer in several seminars (Asunción, Madrid and Doha), reviewing and analysing video clips of real match situations, and taking part in practical training sessions with players, which will be filmed to enable participants to receive instant feedback from the instructors.

“The key focuses of the preparation remain protecting players and the image of the game, consistency, uniformity, reading the game from a technical and tactical perspective and understanding a variety of player and team mentalities,” added Busacca. “We can’t eliminate all mistakes, but we will do everything we can to reduce them.”

The VAR system was implemented for the first time ever at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ and four years later, a team of 24 video match officials (VMOs) will operate in Qatar, ready to provide their team-mates on the pitch with technological support, if needed. Due to the very limited number of FIFA member associations having implemented the VAR system at the time, VMOs for Russia 2018 were mainly selected from Europe and South America. Today, the VAR system is used in all major competitions worldwide and VMOs from Asia, Africa, as well as Central and North America will also participate in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

For the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Referees Committee has also appointed three women's referees and three women's assistant referees.

“We are very happy that with Stéphanie Frappart from France, Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda and Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan, as well as assistant referees Neuza Back from Brazil, Karen Díaz Medina from Mexico and Kathryn Nesbitt from the USA, we have been able to call up female match officials for the first time in the history of a FIFA World Cup. This concludes a long process that began several years ago with the deployment of female referees at FIFA men’s junior and senior tournaments. In this way, we clearly emphasise that it is quality that counts for us and not gender. I would hope that in the future, the selection of elite women’s match officials for important men’s competitions will be perceived as something normal and no longer as sensational. They deserve to be at the FIFA World Cup™ because they constantly perform at a really high level, and that’s the important factor for us,” concluded the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina.

List of the appointed match officials for the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar™

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U.S. Soccer referees to officiate FIFA World Cup Final for first time in history

CHICAGO – As the 2022 FIFA World Cup draws to a close this weekend, the five U.S. Soccer referees appointed for the global stage have shined at the highest level, having been assigned 35 times to officiate at a total of 22 different matches during the tournament, and for the first time ever four U.S. Soccer referees will work the FIFA World Cup Final.

Referee  Ismail Elfath , assistant referees  Kyle Atkins ,  Kathryn Nesbitt  and  Corey Parker  as well as Video Assistant Referee  Armando Villarreal  were part of the 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials that worked games in Qatar. For the Final on Sunday,  Elfath  will serve as Fourth Official and  Atkins  will serve as assistant Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for Argentina-France, while  Nesbitt  and  Parker  have been assigned Reserve VAR and Reserve AVAR duties, respectively.

Breaking other barriers,  Nesbitt  was one of six female referees selected to officiate at the men’s World Cup for the first time. She proudly represented the United States in eight matches, including the historic match between Costa Rica and Germany that was officiated by an all-female crew for the first time in the history of the World Cup.  Nesbitt  was the offside video assistant referee, joining France’s Stéphanie Frappart, Brazil’s Neuza Back and Mexico’s Karen Diaz.

“At U.S. Soccer, we strive to grow the game in all its capacities. As a long-time member of the referee community, I couldn’t be prouder to see Americans officiating on soccer’s grandest stage,” said U.S. Soccer CEO and Secretary General JT Batson. “Watching Esse Baharmast on the field at the 1998 World Cup inspired my time as a referee. I hope folks across the country are similarly inspired as they’ve watched our officials throughout this World Cup and seen the amazing heights that our U.S. Soccer Referee Program can reach.”

When  Elfath  takes the field on Sunday for the Final as the fourth official it will be his fourth assignment of the tournament, having manned Portugal vs. Ghana in the opening round, and Cameroon vs. Brazil and Japan vs. Costa Rica in the Round of 16.

Villarreal  also served as Support VAR in the third-place match between Croatia and Morocco on Saturday, which ended in a 2-1 win for Croatia.

Atkins  will be earning his seventh assignment when he serves as the assistant VAR for the Final. Earlier in the tournament he served as an assistant referee for the same three matches where Elfath was in the middle, and was the assistant VAR for three first round matches.

Parker  joined Atkins as the other assistant referee for the three matches with Elfath, and also was assigned as a Offside VAR for a match.  Villareal  was assigned the most matches with 12 total, all as either the VAR, assistant VAR or support VAR.

“I am so proud of the U.S. Soccer referees who are representing our country and our Federation so well at the Men’s World Cup,” said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone. “I am especially proud that Kathryn Nesbitt was chosen as one of the first ever female referees for a men’s World Cup tournament. And, it is so great to see four of our officials representing the United States during Sunday’s World Cup Final.”

FIFA selected 129 top match officials from all six confederations to referee at the World Cup based on their quality and performances at other FIFA tournaments as well as other international and domestic competitions. The selected officials are five of 31 U.S. Soccer referees that are part of the 2022 FIFA Panel, the world’s highest level of officiating. Selection grants the 31 officials the opportunity to referee at the highest levels of international soccer.

U.S. Soccer’s Referee Program works to support the approximately 140,000 members across the country that service amateur games at both the youth and adult levels. High quality instruction provided by 55 State Referee Associations is essential to U.S. Soccer’s success. For more information on referee education, visit the  U.S. Soccer Learning Center .

If you’re interested in registering as a first-time referee,  go to U.S. Soccer’s Learning Center to find more information.  You may also search for courses in the Learning Center under Courses/Available Courses/First Time Grassroots. You can also sign up for a Grassroots Referee license with your State Referee Committee. Contact information for each  SRC is linked here.

KYLE ATKINS

• 4 years as a FIFA referee
• 21 years of experience as a US Soccer licensed official total
• Current License Held: FIFA Assistant Referee & FIFA VMO
• 7 assignments in Qatar WC
• Olathe, Kan.

ISMAIL ELFATH

• 7 years as a FIFA referee
• 17 years of experience as a US Soccer licensed official total
• Current License Held: FIFA Referee & FIFA VMO
• 4 assignments in Qatar WC
• Austin, Texas

KATHRYN NESBITT

• 18 years of experience as a US Soccer licensed official total
• Current License Held: FIFA Assistant Referee & PRO VMO
• 8 assignments in Qatar WC
• Rochester, N.Y.

COREY PARKER

• 6 years as a FIFA referee
• 23 years of experience as a US Soccer licensed official total
• Edinboro, Pa.

ARMANDO VILLARREAL

• 8 years as a FIFA referee
• Current License Held: FIFA Video Match Official & PRO VMO
• 12 assignments in Qatar WC
• San Antonio, Texas

U.S. SOCCER REFEREE ASSIGNMENTS AT THE 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP

Match 5: France vs. Australia Offside VR: Atkins

Match 6: Denmark vs. Tunisia AVAR: Villarreal

Match 11: Germany vs. Japan AVAR: Villarreal Offside VR: Nesbitt

Match 15: Portugal vs. Ghana Referee: Elfath Assistant Referee 1: Atkins Assistant Referee 2: Parker VAR: Villarreal

Match 21: Tunisia vs. Australia Offside VR: Parker

Match 22: Poland vs. Saudi Arabia AVAR: Villarreal

Match 26: Belgium vs. Morocco Offside VAR: Nesbitt Support VAR: Villarreal

Match 30: Korea Republic vs. Ghana Offside VAR: Atkins

Match 31: Brazil vs. Switzerland AVAR: Villarreal Offside VAR: Nesbitt

Match 39: Poland vs. Argentina Offside VAR: Nesbitt

Match 43: Japan vs. Spain AVAR: Villarreal Offside VAR: Atkins

Match 44: Costa Rica vs. Germany Offside VAR: Nesbitt

Match 46: Korea Republic vs. Portugal Support VAR: Villarreal

Match 48: Cameroon vs. Brazil – Round of 16 Referee: Elfath Assistant Referee 1: Atkins Assistant Referee 2: Parker

Match 51: England vs. Senegal – Round of 16 Assistant Referee 2: Nesbitt AVAR: Villarreal

Match 53: Japan vs. Croatia – Round of 16 Referee: Elfath Assistant Referee 1: Atkins Assistant Referee 2: Parker

Match 58: Croatia vs. Brazil – Quarterfinal Offside VAR: Nesbitt

Match 60: Morocco vs. Portugal – Quarterfinal Support VAR: Villarreal

Match 61: Argentina vs. Croatia – Semifinal Offside VAR: Nesbitt

Match 62: France vs. Morocco – Semifinal Support VAR: Villarreal

Match 63: Croatia vs. Morocco – Third Place Match Support VAR: Villarreal

Match 64: Argentina vs. France – Final Fourth Official: Elfath Offside VAR: Atkins

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Meet the referees taking charge of World Cup 2022

History will be made this year as six female match officials travel to a World Cup for the first time in its history.

The role of a match official at a World Cup is often a thankless job.

While players are heaped with praise when they do outstanding work, referees are rarely hailed for doing their job well. Instead, they are routinely lambasted – by players, managers and fans over the slightest of errors.

Keep reading

Q&a: ‘morocco can be the dark horse of world cup 2022’, world cup 1978: army interference, violent clashes and a boycott, how much do you know about the world cup in qatar take our quiz external link this article will be opened in a new browser window, can an african team reach the world cup 2022 semi-finals.

The reality is that the high-stakes role requires a comprehensive knowledge of the game’s rules, an elite fitness level – often requiring them to run more than outfield players – and years of hard work.

For World Cup 2022, FIFA has released a list of 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials overseeing the video assistant referee (VAR) system.This will be the first World Cup with female match officials – referees Stéphanie Frappart (France), Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda) and Yoshimi Yamashita  (Japan); assistant referees Neuza Back (Brazil), Karen Díaz Medina (Mexico) and Kathryn Nesbitt (US).

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will also see the introduction of the new Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Semi-Automated Offside Technology. The system currently being trialled in the UEFA Champions League group stages is designed to improve the accuracy of offside decisions. Cameras installed under the roof of the stadium track all 22 players recording data points and calculating their exact position on the pitch.

Referees will also utilise goal-line technology, introduced during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The system uses 14 high-speed cameras to create a 3D image animation that can notify the referee immediately if the ball has crossed the line.

Who will referee the 2022 World Cup?

Afc – asian football confederation.

• Six referees
• 10 assistant referees
• Four video match officials

Abdulrahman al-Jassim (Qatar) – The 35-year-old Qatari has been a FIFA referee since 2013 and has officiated several high-profile fixtures. He worked as a VAR official at Russia 2018. He has also refereed at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup final between Liverpool and Clube de Regatas do Flamengo.

Chris Beath (Australia) – Like al-Jassim, Beath made a name for himself on the international stage by refereeing at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Alireza Faghani (Iran) – Hailing from Kashmar in northeast Iran, Faghani played football in the country’s third tier before eventually moving into refereeing. He refereed the 2014 AFC Champions League final, the 2018 World Cup and now plies his trade in Australia’s A-League.

Alireza Faghani, one of the top referees in the world, will become a full-time referee for the 2019/20 @ALeague season! pic.twitter.com/pTpf9ZX8WH — AFC (@theafcdotcom) September 20, 2019

Ma Ning (China) – Ma Ning is only the second Chinese referee to participate in the World Cup.

Mohammed Abdulla Mohamed (UAE) – The Emirati has been a FIFA referee since 2010 and has refereed at the AFC Asian Cup.

Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan) – In April 2022, Yamashita became the first female official to oversee an AFC Champions League match in which she issued three yellow cards to Melbourne City.

“I want it to be seen as perfectly normal for women to referee men’s games, so what is happening in Qatar needs to continue. I feel a certain amount of pressure to win everyone’s trust.”

CAF – Confederation of African football

• Two video match officials

Bakary Papa Gassama  (Gambia) – This will be Gassama’s third World Cup appearance after Brazil 2018 and Russia 2018.

Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria) – The 37-year-old Algerian has refereed several international matches, including the 2020 CAF Champions League final between Egyptian sides Zamalek and Al Ahly, in which he issued two red cards and five yellow cards.

Victor Gomes (South Africa) – A tough-talking no-nonsense referee, Gomes has made headlines on more than one occasion. In 2018, he reportedly turned down a $30,000 bribe to fix a CAF Confederation Cup game between Nigeria’s Plateau United and Algeria’s USM Alger. In the 2021 AFCON final, Gomes sternly told Egyptian superstar Mohammed Salah to stop complaining before sarcastically offering him his whistle.

Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda) – Mukansanga is continuously making history. She is the first woman from her native Rwanda to referee the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the first woman to ever officiate at the African Cup of Nations and now one of the first women to referee at the men’s World Cup.

Janny Sikazwe (Zambia) – Sikazwe boasts an impressive CV, having refereed the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup final and the 2017 AFCON final and becoming the first Zambian referee to officiate a World Cup in 2018.

However, he is perhaps best remembered for incorrectly calling full-time in the 85th and 89th minute in an AFCON clash between Tunisia and Mali in January this year. It later emerged that he had suffered heat stroke and was later taken to hospital.

Maguette Ndiaye (Senegal) – The Senegalese referee officiated several matches at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

CONCACAF – Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football.

• Five referees
• 12 assistant referees
• Three video match officials

Ivan Barton (Salvador) – Iván Barton, aged 30, has officiated at the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, overseeing the semi-final between Jamaica and the United States and the CONCACAF Nations League.

Ismail Elfath (United States) – Born in Morocco, Elfath came to the US when he was 18 years of age after winning a visa lottery. He made his MLS refeering debut in 2011 and since then has become one of the country’s most respected officials, picking up the MLS Referee of the Year award twice in the past three years. He has officiated at several international tournaments, including the semi-final of the 2019 Club World Cup.

Congratulations to Ismail Elfath, the 2022 MLS Referee of the Year! 👏 pic.twitter.com/AugFkcoJ0r — Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 14, 2022

Mario Escobar (Guatemala) – The 36 year old has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2013 and officiated several CONCACAF tournaments.

Said Martinez (Honduras) – At 31 years of age, Said is one of three referees from Central America to officiate at the 2022 World Cup. Said, who also has a degree in Mathematics, refereed the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup final between the United States and Mexico, issuing three yellow cards in extra time.

César Ramos (Mexico) – The 38-year-old Mexican has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2014. He officiated three matches at the 2018 World Cup, including a group stage 1-1 draw between Brazil and Switzerland. During the game, the Brazil players expressed their displeasure with Ramos after he dismissed claims of fouls on two occasions and ruled out any VAR review.

CONMEBOL – South American Football Confederation

• Seven referees
• 15 assistant referees

Raphael Claus (Brazil) – The experienced Brazilian most recently refereed at the 2021 Copa América.

Andres Matias Matonte Cabrera (Uruguay) – The Uruguayan most recently officiated at the Arab Cup in 2021. He oversaw Qatar’s 5-0 quarter-final win over UAE, in which he issued two penalties within eight minutes of each other.

Kevin Ortega (Peru) – At 30, the Peruvian referee is one of the youngest on the plane to Qatar. He has officiated several high-pressure matches, including a semi-final in the 2020 Summer Olympics between Spain and Japan.

Fernando Rapallini (Argentina) – The Argentine boasts a wealth of experience officiating in the Argentinian Primera División and international tournaments. Rapallini made history in 2021 when he became the first South American referee to officiate at a European Championship.

Wilton Sampaio (Brazil) – The 40-year-old has been FIFA-listed since 2013 and most recently officiated at the 2021 Copa América.

Facundo Tello (Argentina) – Tello made a name for himself in Argentina after being selected to referee in the country’s first division after only four matches in the second tier. In 2021, he travelled to Qatar to officiate in the 2021 FIFA Arab World Cup.

Jesus Valenzuela (Venezuela) – The 38 year old was first listed as a FIFA referee in 2013. In July 2021, he officiated the infamous semi-final between Colombia and Argentina in the Copa América, in which Valenzuela dished out 10 yellow cards.

There were 20 (!!!) fouls called in the first half of Argentina-Colombia 🤕 pic.twitter.com/GJEugKppV8 — International Champions Cup (@IntChampionsCup) July 7, 2021

OFC – Oceania Football Confederation

• One referee
• Two assistant referees

Matthew Conger (New Zealand) – Since Australia joined the AFC in 2006, Conger is the only referee representing the OFC at the 2022 World Cup. Originally from Texas, in the US, the part-time teacher refereed one group stage match in the 2018 World Cup.

UEFA  – Union of European Football Associations

• 11 referees
• 20 assistant referees
• 11 video match officials

Istvan Kovacs (Romania) – The veteran goalkeeper is set to officiate at his first World Cup this year, having impressed in recent matches, including the Manchester City versus Real Madrid thriller earlier this year in the Champions League. Kovacs played a smart advantage allowing Bernado Silva to rifle home a shot after Toni Kroos fouled Oleksandr Zinchenko in the build-up.

Stephanie Frappart (France) – Frappart plies her trade in France’s Ligue 1 but has notched several high-profile international appearances recently, including the 2019 UEFA Super Cup between Liverpool and Chelsea. In 2020, she became the first woman to referee a Champions League match. In 2022, she officiated the 2022 Coupe de France final between Nice and Nantes.

👏 You just love to see it 💪 Stephanie Frappart becomes the first woman to referee a men's @ChampionsLeague match 🛣 Way to blaze a trail, Stephanie pic.twitter.com/j20ywQi4Z1 — FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) December 2, 2020

Danny Makkelie (The Netherlands) – The experienced Dutch referee and part-time policeman has long officiated high-profile matches, including the 2018 Europa League final. The four matches he refereed during last year’s European Championships made him a household name. In the semi-final between Denmark and England at Wembley, Makkelie awarded a controversial penalty to England that allowed them to progress to the final.

Szymon Marciniak (Poland) – The 41-year-old Polish referee comes with bags of experience, having notched up three games at the 2016 European Championships and two at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain) – The Spaniard is known for his unorthodox chatty approach to officiating but is highly rated by UEFA, who entrusted him with officiating the 2021 Champions League final. In the 2020 European Championships, Mateu oversaw a fractious 2-2 draw between France and Portugal in the group stages, in which he awarded three penalties and four yellow cards.

Michael Oliver (England) – The English referee comes with plenty of domestic experience, officiating high-profile games, such as the 2021 FA Cup final. Oliver has also become a regular in the Champions League, where he is perhaps best remembered for awarding a penalty to Real Madrid that ultimately led to their progression at the expense of Juventus. The decision sparked the usually calm and collected Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon to accuse Oliver of having a “trash can” for a heart.

Daniele Orsato (Italy) – A mainstay of the Champions League, Orsato has refereed both 2020 Champions League final between Bayern Munich and PSG. He also worked as a VAR referee during the 2018 World Cup.

Daniel Siebert (Germany) – He officiated three matches at the 2020 European Championships and was the referee for the 2021 Arab Cup final between Tunisia and Algeria.

Anthony Taylor (England) – The 44-year-old referee has recently been entrusted with fixtures such as the Nations League final between France and Spain. He refereed Denmark versus Finland match in the 2020 European Championships where Christain Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch. Taylor was praised for spotting the situation quickly and swiftly organising medical treatment.

Clement Turpin (France) – Turpin has officiated at the 2016 and 2020 European Championships and the 2018 World Cup. In the 2021-22 season, he officiated nine matches in the UEFA Champions League, including the final.

Slavko Vincic (Slovenia) – Vincic, a qualified telecommunications engineer, was encouraged to try refereeing by his uncle when he was 20 years old. Eleven years later, he was listed as a FIFA referee. He officiated three matches in the 2020 European Championships. He was the referee for this year’s Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers.

In 2020 Vincic made headlines after being arrested in connection with a police probe into a prostitution and drugs ring operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Multimedia content

36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials appointed for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 ™

Today, the FIFA Referees Committee announced the lists with the names of the selected match officials for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™

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I would hope that in the future, the selection of elite women’s match officials for important men’s competitions will be perceived as something normal

Selected match officials represent highest level of refereeing worldwide;  Preparation seminars for selected match officials to start in early summer;​  Six women’s match officials appointed for the first time in World Cup history.

Today, the FIFA Referees Committee announced the lists with the names of the selected match officials for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. 

36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials have been chosen in close cooperation with the six confederations, based on their quality and the performances delivered at FIFA tournaments as well as at other international and domestic competitions in recent years.

“As always, the criteria we have used is ‘quality first’ and the selected match officials represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide,” said the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina. “The 2018 World Cup was very successful, partly because of the high standard of refereeing, and we will do our best to be even better in a few months in Qatar.”

The “Road to Qatar 2022” project started already in 2019, with more than 50 trios considered possible candidates and going through intensive preparation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, this preparation was anything, but easy, as in-presence activities were suspended for a long period.

“The pandemic affected our activities, in particular in 2020 and at the beginning of 2021. Luckily, the World Cup was still quite far, and we had enough time to provide the candidates with good preparation. We are announcing these selections well in advance as we want to work even harder with all those who have been appointed for the FIFA World Cup, monitoring them in the next months. The message is clear: don’t rest on your laurels, keep working hard and prepare yourselves very seriously for the World Cup,” said Collina.

Massimo Busacca, FIFA’s Director of Refereeing, ensures the match officials will receive all the necessary support by FIFA, as their preparation is paramount.

“Thanks to an innovative tracking and support programme, all the match officials can be supervised by FIFA referees’ instructors even more closely and intensively than in previous years. This is a very important factor, from which we expect considerable improvements and progress in view of the FIFA World Cup 2022,” explained Busacca. “In addition to that, there will be tailor-made individual programmes, in particular concerning health and fitness. Each match official will be carefully monitored in the next months with a final assessment on technical, physical and medical aspects to be made shortly before the World Cup, in order to have them in the best conditions when the ball starts rolling in Qatar.”

The selected match officials will participate in early summer in several seminars (Asunción, Madrid and Doha), reviewing and analysing video clips of real match situations, and taking part in practical training sessions with players, which will be filmed to enable participants to receive instant feedback from the instructors.

“The key focuses of the preparation remain protecting players and the image of the game, consistency, uniformity, reading the game from a technical and tactical perspective and understanding a variety of player and team mentalities,” added Busacca. “We can’t eliminate all mistakes, but we will do everything we can to reduce them.”

The VAR system was implemented for the first time ever at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ and four years later, a team of 24 video match officials (VMOs) will operate in Qatar, ready to provide their team-mates on the pitch with technological support, if needed. Due to the very limited number of FIFA member associations having implemented the VAR system at the time, VMOs for Russia 2018 were mainly selected from Europe and South America. Today, the VAR system is used in all major competitions worldwide and VMOs from Asia, Africa, as well as Central and North America will also participate in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

For the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Referees Committee has also appointed three women's referees and three women's assistant referees.

“We are very happy that with Stéphanie Frappart from France, Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda and Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan, as well as assistant referees Neuza Back from Brazil, Karen Díaz Medina from Mexico and Kathryn Nesbitt from the USA, we have been able to call up female match officials for the first time in the history of a FIFA World Cup. This concludes a long process that began several years ago with the deployment of female referees at FIFA men’s junior and senior tournaments. In this way, we clearly emphasise that it is quality that counts for us and not gender. I would hope that in the future, the selection of elite women’s match officials for important men’s competitions will be perceived as something normal and no longer as sensational. They deserve to be at the FIFA World Cup™ because they constantly perform at a really high level, and that’s the important factor for us,” concluded the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina.

List of the appointed match officials for the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar™ ( https://fifa.fans/3Lv8D06 )

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What is stoppage time? FIFA's orders to World Cup referees add up to 100-minute games

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The 90-minute soccer match is turning into 100-plus at the World Cup — and that is what FIFA wants to give fans more entertainment.

The four longest periods of stoppage time for a single half of soccer at any World Cup were all played Monday, according to statistics analysis site Opta Joe.

England and Iran went into the 15th minute of stoppage time in the first half Monday and the referee added 14 minutes in the second half. A head injury for Iran’s goalkeeper explained the first, but the second raised more eyebrows.

Even more surprising were the Netherlands-Senegal and the United States-Wales games each entering the 11th minute of time added at the end for the myriad types of stoppages in modern soccer. The U.S. game that started at 10 p.m. on Monday in Doha ticked over into Tuesday when the final whistle blew.

The pattern carried on Tuesday as Argentina-Saudi Arabia went into a seventh minute of time added on at the end of the first half.

“The purpose is to offer more show to those watching the World Cup,” the chairman of FIFA’s referees committee Pierluigi Collina said in Qatar ahead of the tournament.

Collina insisted the directive to referees “is something not new." FIFA officials have long been agitated about the dwindling amount of effective playing time in the regulation 90 minutes.

In 2017, a 60-minute, stop-start game clock as in basketball was suggested as an idea to explore by Marco van Basten when the Netherlands great was then FIFA technical director.

At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the ball was typically in play for about 60 minutes. That was down to between 52 and 58 minutes at the 2018 tournament in Russia, according to one statistical analysis.

“What we want to avoid is to have a match lasting 42, 43, 44, 45 minutes of active play. This is not acceptable,” said Collina, widely seen as the best ref of his generation when he worked at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups.

Video review that was first used at the World Cup four years ago has caused some of the modern delays, with stoppages often of around two minutes to check on game-changing incidents.

Goal celebrations that now go on and on have also tested FIFA’s patience.

“Celebrations may last one, one and a half minutes,” Collina said last Friday at a briefing about FIFA’s instructions to their match officials in Qatar. “It’s easy to lose three, four, five minutes only for goal celebrations and this has to be considered and compensated at the end.”

Five second-half goals in England’s 6-2 win over Iran shows that, plus there was a VAR review to award Iran a penalty at the end of the 10 minutes of stoppage time that were initially indicated.

It helped England complete 716 passes — the second most in any World Cup game that did not include extra time.

Still, there was only one second-half goal in the 1-1 draw between the U.S. and Wales.

While fans are getting used to the new norm of longer games — and broadcasters perhaps adjust their running times of programs — the current solution is arguably than those proposed five years ago.

Van Basten's team also suggested research into combating late-game timewasting by letting referees stop their watch as play paused toward the end of each half.

Both ideas were soon shelved.

Daniele Orsato to referee Opening Match of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™

Italy’s Daniele Orsato has been selected as the referee for the Opening Match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 between Qatar and Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday, 20 November. At 46 years of age, he is one of Europe’s most experienced referees, having been officiating the game since 2010. He was a video assistant referee at the 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup.

Thanks for your help with the Davis World Cup Tournament. Our goal is to make this a fun and amazing weekend for the players, but also a fun and enjoyable experience for you. Let us know if you have any suggestions of things we can do better in that respect. Below is a bunch of information that you should be familiar with, please look over all of it. 

Referee In-Service​ and Dinner  

Each year we hold a referee in-service the Friday night before the tournament. We try and make this a meaningful and valuable experience for all referees. Recent guest speakers have included a FIFA referee, a USSF referee assessor and a USSF director of referee development. Our hope is that every single one of you will come.  This is not mandatory – it is a continuing education event, not a tournament rules overview. 

When: Friday 5/24/2024 -  Dinner starts at 6pm, program begins at 6:30pm

Location : Davis Branch of the Yolo County Library,  315 E. 14th Street, Davis, CA 95616.  Look for the entrance with the "Referees" flag

Speaker :  Tarek Khan, US Soccer National Referee Coach and PRO Assessor

Dinner will be provided.

We will also answer any tournament questions you may have and hand out tournament t-shirts/coins and a number of great door prizes 

No need to RSVP.

Sign-Up  

Sign-up in our  referee scheduling system . First look for your name in the drop-down list – you may be in there from a previous year, or we may have added you already. 

Most of you will not know your password, so just click the “Mail my password” button on the bottom left to retrieve or reset it. (Davis referees, note that this is a different schedule than the one we use for our regular seasons, and your password in this one may be different). 

If you do not see your name in the drop-down, click the “New Referee Sign-Up” button to register, and we’ll try and activate you within 24 hours. 

More instructions can be found here . 

All referees that participate in DWC must be registered with AYSO and have a current volunteer application form on file with their home Region. 

Scheduling 

The schedule is accessible at  Refscheduler . 

Please keep these scheduling thoughts in mind: 

Most of the games will be handled through self-assignment 

We hope each referee will sign up for 6-8 or more spots (your player will likely play in ~5 games * 3 referees / 2 teams = ~7.5 spots per ref, we can’t do it without you) 

Please sign up for as many AR spots as you do center referee spots 

Please do not sign up to officiate you own child’s games and if possible, please avoid all games in the same flight as your own child. 

If you are a coach (or assistant coach), do not officiate in the flight that you are coaching in 

Make sure you can get to your venue with plenty of buffer time (20-30 before kick-off). Most fields are within 5-15 minutes of each other, but parking might be tough at some times, so consider staying at a single venue for a while, rather than bouncing around. (take a look at the Game Length info below) 

Officiate at your comfort level (pushing the envelope a little is encouraged) 

Each venue has a referee tent next to the Field Marshal tent 

16U/19U center referee positions will be assigned, as will many Semi-final, and all Final spots. Please send a note to  [email protected]  if you are interested in any of these spots. Please include your badge level and an estimate of your experience. You can request specific games, or better yet, provide more general info such as: “Free all day Sat and Sun, except for the times listed below when my child plays, no more than 2 games/day.” We will assign as many of Bracket 16U/19U spots as possible before the schedule opens — so that you know which ones you have and can self-assign for other games around those. 

Feel free to remove yourself from games, if you do this a week before the tournament - no issue, but as it gets closer to the weekend please use more discretion. 

Youth Referees 

We welcome youth referees. Youth referees should generally officiate divisions at least one age below their own. We try to denote youth referees with a (Y) after their first name in the RefScheduler, but we may miss some if we don’t know they are youths. Adults, if you see a referee signed up with a (Y) after their name, please make a point to sign up with them to offer guidance and support. Please remind coaches that there is zero tolerance for dissent toward a youth referee. Any dissent toward a youth referee is grounds for immediate expulsion of the team official or spectator. 

Scheduling as the weekend progresses 

As the weekend progresses and you learn that you will be available for later games that day, Do NOT use  RefScheduler  to sign up for games that day; schedules are printed out each morning, so for game day sign-ups please sign up at the field. 

If something happens during the weekend and you need to cancel any spots, please call to let us know. 

Rules and Maps 

The 2024 Tournament Rules are available HERE . (Updated 1/21/2024)

Field Maps are available  HERE

Game Day 

Please check-in at the Referee tent for your venue before going to the field for your first game each day (look for the big yellow REFEREES banner). Check off your name on the printed schedule there for all of your games. 

Player check-ins 

Player/equipment inspections are done by field marshals.

Referees should check for player arm-stamps before the game if they don’t have one, they cannot play.

If you do notice any equipment violations, follow standard protocol – you have the final say.

If the game card has a red-line or blue-line through a player (or coach) name, it means they cannot play due to previous red card (red-line) or concussion concern (blue-line). The field marshals should catch this, and let you know about this when they give you the card, but if they don’t, ask them to verify if the player can play or not. 

Uniform conflicts 

If there is a uniform color conflict, the home team must change, or else BOTH teams must wear pinafores (field marshal table should have them). However, if the visiting team is willing to change to remedy the situation – that’s fine. 

Tie Breaking 

Bracket games can end in a tie 

Elimination, quarterfinal, semi-final, and consolation games that are tied at the end of regulation time will be decided by penalties. 

Championship games that are tied at the end of regulation time will continue with two overtime periods. These overtime periods will be five minutes each for every division. Both periods will be played; there is no “golden goal”. If the game is still tied at the end of the second overtime period, the game will be decided by penalties. 

Game Cards 

Have both coaches sign the game card after the game 

If there are no misconducts, give the completed game card to the winning coach at the end of the game, or if a tie, give the card to the home coach 

If there were any misconducts or other issues such as coach or parent problems, or suspected concussion or major injury, one of the officials needs to turn the game card in to the field marshal, and verify the details 

Misconduct Reporting 

We need all officials to be good about noting all misconduct on the game card. Both Red and Yellow cards have consequences on both team points and player eligibility for subsequent games. Make sure to note team (country), player number, player name, and reason. 

If there is any misconduct, one of the officials needs to turn the game card into the field marshal, and make sure to explain the notes. 

In addition, if there are any Send-offs, it's really important for you to fill out a misconduct report. They will be available at the ref tent and field marshal tables. Try and find a few minutes to do it right there on the spot by hand, and turn it into the field marshal. 

Make sure keepers wear shirts or pinnies without number, and/or be careful to record the keepers “real” number, and ask for their name right away, when recording a misconduct for them (we had a confusing situation in a previous year where players exchange the “keeper jersey” which had a number on it, and the wrong player was issued the misconduct). 

Sportsmanship Awards 

The field marshals should give you two sportsmanship awards with each game card. Please give one of these to each team that exhibits good sportsmanship. Please don't overlook giving these out (AR's, help the ref remember) and don't be stingy with them - somebody on the team (or coaches or parents) hopefully did something worth rewarding. Many of the teams really enjoy getting the ribbons associated with these awards. 

Concussions 

If you suspect a player of having a concussion or head injury make sure to make a note of their number and name right away, and make sure to identify the player by number and name on the game card, and write “suspected concussion or head injury” on it too. 

Also, please ask the field marshal for an “incident report form” and fill it out right then – this form has quite a few questions/boxes, but just get the important stuff noted (your name, player name/number/team, what game and what happened) and the safety director will follow up with the player/coach. 

Shirts and Coins & extra supplies 

Complimentary T-shirts and coins for all Referees will be available at the in-service, and at any of the referee tents. Please help yourselves to one of each. 

There will also be a referee tub at each ref tent with supplies such as match report sheets and whistles - if you need anything, help yourselves. 

Food and Drink 

Breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks will be available at the ref tents throughout the day - please help yourselves. 

Dealing with Sideline Behavior issues 

These games will get emotional for players, coaches and spectators – soccer is an emotional sport – that’s a good thing. Be tolerant of quick shows of emotion and frustration, but do not allow yourselves to be the subject of public or personal or prolonged dissent. Even if you think that you have a thick skin and can take it, consider that you are dealing with it on behalf of the next referee that will have that team. Small dissent tends to grow into larger dissent, so deal with it early. Matt Buckman, Cal North Director of Referee Development gave a talk on this subject at our 2018 Davis World Cup in-service. Here’s an excerpt from the rules to keep in mind related to this: 

“Coaches shall participate in positive coaching that instructs and encourages players during the games. Negative comments and inappropriate behavior are not permitted and may result in a coach being sent off from the field of play. Coaches should remember that they are responsible for the actions of their players, parents and spectators. They can and will be disciplined for their actions.” 

Observations/Assessments 

If you are interested in an observation or assessment for upgrade (Intermediate/National/Assessor), let us know and we can try to help with that. The sooner you let us know, the more likely we can accommodate. 

CONTACTS 

If you have any referee/match-related concerns, please text the referee hotline at (415) 279-1887. 

If there are any discrepancies in the notes above and the Tournament Rules or Site Administrator direction, those latter two take precedence. 

We hope you and your players have a great weekend, 

​Davis Regional Referee Administrator 

[email protected]  

Page updated 5/19/2024

GiveMeSport

World cup referees: which officials are in contention to take charge of the final.

Wilton Sampaio, the heavily-criticised referee who took charge of England's World Cup quarter-final with France , is surprisingly still in with a chance of officiating the final of the tournament.

A total of 36 referees from around the globe were selected by FIFA at the start of the competition, but that number has now been slashed to 12 for the final week of action.

Per the Daily Mail , 40-year-old Sampaio is reportedly among the dozen officials who have been asked to remain in Qatar by football's governing body.

That's despite a questionable showing in Saturday's encounter at Al Bayt Stadium, which Three Lions defender Harry Maguire called "really poor" after the match.

READ MORE: England vs France: Harry Maguire's interview about referee after World Cup defeat

Sampaio made a number of controversial decisions during England's 2-1 defeat, including refusing to penalise Dayot Upamecano for his rash challenge on Bukayo Saka in the build-up to Aurelien Tchouameni's opener for France.

The referee then refused to give either a penalty or a free-kick outside the box for a clumsy challenge on the very edge of the area by Upamecano on Harry Kane.

Check out our 2022 World Cup hub page

There were also several other incidents throughout the match that left the England camp frustrated. As Maguire would later put it: "He [Sampaio] never gave us anything!"

Given the level of debate over his performance, it's really quite a shock that Sampaio has been selected to remain at the tournament when many other established referees have been informed that their services are no longer required.

Which referees have been sent home from the 2022 World Cup after the quarter-finals?

Among those to have returned home ahead of the semi-finals include respected Premier League official Michael Oliver.

The 37-year-old was praised for his work during the three matches he took charge of in Qatar - including Croatia's quarter-final victory over Brazil - but that hasn't resulted in any further assignments for the Northumberland-based man.

AL RAYYAN, QATAR - DECEMBER 09: Neymar of Brazil speaks to Referee Michael Oliver during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final match between Croatia and Brazil at Education City Stadium on December 09, 2022 in Al Rayyan, Qatar. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Joining Oliver in departing the Gulf state will be all three female officials who were breaking new ground at this World Cup.

Stephanie Frappart of France, Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda and Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan were all absent from FIFA's final list of 12.

Elsewhere, Argentina fans will be pleased to hear that Antonio Mateu Lahoz's tournament is over.

LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - DECEMBER 09: Referee Antonio Mateu shows a yellow card to Lionel Messi of Argentina during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final match between Netherlands and Argentina at Lusail Stadium on December 09, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

The Spanish official was described as "useless" by Argentine goalkeeper Emi Martinez after he lost all control of Friday's quarter-final against the Netherlands.

The 45-year-old brandished no less than 17 yellow cards in the ill-tempered showdown. However, he won't be adding to his tally of cards at this edition of the World Cup as he's among those who have been cut by FIFA.

Which referees could potentially officiate the World Cup final?

The 2022 World Cup final could still be overseen by an Englishman.

Premier League official Anthony Taylor remains part of the contingent of officials still involved at the tournament, together with his assistants Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn.

Another official who remains in contention to take charge of the final is Dutch referee Danny Makkelie.

2022 World Cup quiz: Can you name these 32 players that starred in Qatar?

Makkelie was the man who ultimately awarded Argentina a penalty in the group stages after Poland's Wojciech Szczesny was deemed to have fouled Lionel Messi by putting his hands in the face of the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.

You can check out the full list of referees remaining at the tournament below:

Anthony Taylor (England)

Daniele Orsato (Italy)

Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)

Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

Muhammad Abdulla Hassan Muhammad (UAE)

Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)

Cesar Ramos (Mexico)

Ismail Elfath (USA)

Raphael Claus (Brazil)

Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)

Jesus Valenzuela (Venezuela)

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World Cup 2022

How the referees for the 2022 qatar world cup are chosen.

There will be 36 referees, 69 assistants and 24 video match officials at the World Cup in Qatar

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F IFA have announced the list of referees who will officiate at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar .

There will be 36 referees, 69 assistants and 24 video match officials heading over the tournament.

The process began three years ago, when up to 50 refereeing trios were analyzed as possible candidates.

The list of referees who will be at the 2022 Qatar World Cup

The official version is that the "best referees" are selected for the World Cup , but in reality there are a number of geographical and political considerations at play.

In addition, they must be over 25 years old and under 45.

World Cup referees are selected by FIFA's chief referee together, a 16-member committee plus a medical representative.

Ten of them are former referees and two others are in charge of judging their local leagues.

Although it hasn't been announced which referees will officiate which matches, it's important to remember that none of them can referee a match played by their national team.

Their performances in the first phase of the World Cup will determine if they are kept around for the knockout rounds.

Female representation

For the first time in the history of this tournament, there will be three female referees.

They are France's Stephanie Frappart , Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda and Japan's Yoshimi Yamashita .

Three assistant referees have also been chosen: Neuza Back of Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina of Mexico and Kathryn Nesbitt of the United States.

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World Cup Final Referees: Full List of Refs From Every Tournament

Being appointed as the referee for the World Cup final is a huge achievement. For most officials who find themselves in this position, they'll look back on the game as the pinnacle of their career, a testament to the fact that they got to the top of their profession, just like the illustrious athletes that surround them (and typically grab all the headlines). Getting the call up doesn't just show that they've officiated well throughout the rest of that tournament; it's also a much wider reflection of their abilities as an official.

In this article, we'll be explaining how soccer referees get to the point of being chosen for a FIFA World Cup Final, arguably the most high-profile match in global football. We'll briefly explain the process of getting to the World Cup Finals as a referee and look at what World Cup referee assignments typically entail, before taking you through a list of all the refs who have plied their trade in this prestigious soccer match over the years.

How Many World Cup Referees Are There For Each Tournament? 

The FIFA World Cup takes place every four years in a different host nation, which means that opportunities for referees to demonstrate their skills on the biggest stage are pretty rare. However, in recent years, the number of referees flown out to officiate at each World Cup has increased; for Qatar 2022, there were a total of 36 referees chosen for the competition. This was the same number of refs used at France 2018, but before then the number of referees was lower (in 2010 and 2014, 25 referees were used instead of 36).

On top of these lead officials are a number of assistants; for Qatar, 69 assistant referees and 24 video assistant referees were also appointed, creating the largest team of officials ever seen at a top global soccer tournament. But how exactly does FIFA (football's world governing body) choose which officials will make it to the final tournament? 

How Are FIFA World Cup Referees Appointed?

Just like the lengthy qualification period that each national team has to go through to make it to the World Cup, the process for choosing referees is also exhaustive.

Typically it starts 2-3 years before a tournament, when national football associations and federations nominate their top referees for FIFA consideration.

To ensure balance and representation, FIFA then bases its choices on regional quotas, selecting a certain number of referees from each continent who have consistently performed well in domestic and European competitions. A shortlist will be created, before a 16-person committee (aided by medical experts) will select the final list of refs for the tournament.

The journey isn't over here, though; a number of fitness tests, technical assessments and performance reviews will continue to take place in the build-up to the tournament to ensure that every referee enters the World Cup Finals at the top of their game. 

World Cup Final Referee 2022: Who Was The Most Recent WC Final Official?

Qatar 2022 was a tournament shrouded in controversy at times, but the football itself was staggeringly good. The final between Argentina and France — which ended 3-3 before being clinched by Argentina on penalties — was labelled by many as the greatest World Cup final in history.

The man in black for that particular game was Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, the first ever Polishman to preside over a World Cup final. Over the years, officials from a total of 33 different nations have been selected to handle the World Cup final in some capacity (including assistant referees). Below, you'll find a list of every single lead ref to have been selected.

World Cup Final Referees: The Full List

Being chosen as the referee for World Cup Finals matches at any stage of the tournament is a huge achievement, but to be selected to take charge of the deciding match of the competition is rightly seen as a huge honour by officials across the world. Below, we'll take you through a list of each World Cup final referee since the tournament was first established back in 1930.

Szymon Marciniak (2022)

Marciniak was the latest in a long line of distinguished officials to have presided over the most prestigious game in the whole of world football. His pedigree is undeniable; as well as reffing the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final, the UEFA Super Cup Final, and the 2023 Champions League Final, Marciniak has also been named 'The World's Best Referee' by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) for the last two years. 

Nestor Pistana (2018)

The 2018 World Cup was a huge disappointment for Argentina, whose hopes of victory were dashed in the quarter finals by Kylian Mbappe's rampant France side. However, the Argentines were at least represented in some capacity in the final, with well-regarded referee Nestor Pistana presiding over the game between France and Croatia, aided by his two Argentine assistant referees Hernan Maidana and Juan Pablo Belatti.

Nicola Rizzoli (2014)

The 2014 World Cup final between Germany and Argentina — won by a single Mario Gotze goal in extra time — was refereed by Italian official Nicola Rizzoli, a Serie A stalwart who worked in the top flight of Italian football from 2002 to 2017, winning a remarkable seven consecutive Serie A Referee of the Year Awards before his retirement.

Howard Webb (2010)

In the summer of 2010, Webb had his work cut out in one of the most dramatic — and certainly the  most aggressive — World Cup finals in modern history. The South Africa final saw Spain's celebrated tiki-taka side (flooded with talents like Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets) sucked into a physical battle with the Netherlands that saw Webb hand out 14 yellow cards (which doubled the previous record of six yellow cards for this fixture, set in 1986). The fact that Dutch legend Johan Cruyff described his team's style as 'anti-football' tells you everything you need to know about this game.

Horacio Elizondo (2006)

World Cup referee assignments are not easy to come by, particularly in the tournament final, but Argentina have produced multiple officials capable of taking on this role. The 2006 final in Germany was presided over by Horacio Elizondo, a decorated ref who retired soon after the game, having achieved all his sporting goals. 

Pierluigi Collina (2002)

Regarded by many as the greatest referee in the history of the game, Collina was a striking, at times fearsome figure who collected IFFHS' Referee of the Year Award on a record six consecutive occasions between 1998 and 2003. Thus, he was a shoo-in for the 2002 World Cup Final between Germany and Brazil.

Said Belqola (1998)

The first ever African official to be selected for a World Cup Final (and the only to date), Said Belqola was a Moroccan ref who worked at multiple international tournaments before being chosen for the now-iconic 1998 Final between France and Brazil (a Zidane-inspired France ran out 3-0 winners).

Sandor Phul (1994)

Hungarian ref Sandor Phul was regularly selected for UEFA Champions League matches during the 1990s (taking charge of the 1997 UCL final between Borussia Dortmund and Juventus). But the peak of his career came in 1994, when he was selected for the World Cup final, hosted in the USA.

Edgardo Codesal Mendez (1990)

The 1990 World Cup in Italy has a special place in the hearts of many English fans, who were inspired by the performances of Paul Gasgoine and co.; but it was West Germany and Argentina who reached the final and experienced the disciplinary skills of Mexican ref Edgardo Codesal Mendez.

Romualdo Arrpi Filho (1986)

The Brazilian ref only took charge of three matches at the 1986 World Cup, but one of them was the World Cup final between Argentina and West Germany, which saw Diego Maradona lead his side to victory.

Arnaldo Cezar Coelho (1982)

Another Brazilian official was in the thick of it for the 1982 WC final between Italy and West Germany. Arnaldo Cezar Coelho made history this year, becoming the first non-European to referee a World Cup final.

Sergio Gonella (1978)

The first Italian referee to take charge of a World Cup final (in 1978), Gonella is one of only two people to have ruled over the final of both the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship.

Jack Taylor (1974)

In 1974, the famous Netherlands side led by Johan Cruyff and his 'Total Football' philosophy were beaten dramatically in the World Cup final by West Germany. The man in charge of the match was Jack Taylor, regarded by many as the greatest English referee of all time.

Rudi Glockner (1970)

German ref Rudi Glöckner took charge of the 1970 World Cup final, where Brazil legend Pele made history by winning his third World Cup as a player, triumphing over Italy on the day.

Gottfried Dienst (1966)

1966 is the year England won their only ever major trophy to date, a continuing source of anguish in football's country of origin. The referee in charge of that famous final against West Germany was Swiss official Gottfried Dienst.

Nikolay Latyshev (1962)

Hailing from the Soveit Union, Nikolay Latyshev took charge of the 1962 WC Final between Brazil and Czechoslovakia.

Maurice Guige (1958)

The final of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden (known as the tournament where Pele burst onto the scene) was ruled over by Frenchman Maurice Guigue.

William Ling (1954)

The first Englishman to referee a World Cup final, Ling officiated the 1954 final, which saw the famed Hungary side of Ferenc Puskas beaten controversially by West Germany.

George Capdeville (1938)

Capdeville was a Frenchman who refereed the 1938 final between Italy and Hungary. The match took place in Paris, making him the only person to referee a WC Final in his home country.

Ivan Eklind (1934)

Aged just 28, Swedish ref Ivan Eklind took charge of the 1934 final between Italy and Czechoslovakia in Rome — he remains the youngest ever World Cup final referee.

Law 5 - The Referee

Blog about the man in the middle: appointments, analysis, discussions and much more. You are welcome.

Saturday 23 December 2023

A detailed overview of uefa men's referees observers in the year 2023.

  Thank to our reader Euro Soccer Referee, we are pleased to present this work. 

Friday 22 December 2023

Szymon marciniak appointed to referee 2023 fifa club world cup final.

The Polish has been selected after having officiated one of the two semifinals. 

Thursday 21 December 2023

New uefa referees for 2024 (men, women, futsal).

 Please find below a list of the new UEFA referees for the upcoming year.

UEFA Referees Categories for the second part of 2023-24 season: Marco Guida (ITA) and Espen Eskås (NOR) Promoted to Elite

Italy's Marco Guida and Norway's  Espen Eskås have reached the top of UEFA refereeing. 

Monday 18 December 2023

2023–24 uefa women's champions league matchday 4.

Matchday 4 of 2023-24 UEFA Women's Champions League Group Stage, referee appointments. 

Friday 15 December 2023

2023 fifa club world cup - referee appointments.

Appointments of match officials at 2023 FIFA Club World Cup.

Thursday 14 December 2023

Europa league 2023/24 - referee appointments - matchday 6.

  2023/24 UEFA Europa League Group Stage Matchday 6, referee appointments.

Europa Conference League 2023/24 - Referee Appointments - Matchday 6

2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League, referee appointments for MD6. 

Wednesday 13 December 2023

Champions league 2023/24 - referee appointments - matchday 6 (ii).

Tuesday 12 December 2023

Champions league 2023/24 - referee appointments - matchday 6 (i).

Sixth and last Matchday of 2023-24 UEFA Champions League group stage, first set of games to be played on Tuesday 12 December 2023. 

Monday 11 December 2023

2023–24 uefa women's champions league matchday 3.

Matchday 3 of 2023-24 UEFA Women's Champions League Group Stage, referee appointments. 

Sunday 10 December 2023

2023/24 uefa youth league - referee appointments - matchday 6.

Appointments of referees in charge of 2023/24 Youth League Matchday 6.

Saturday 2 December 2023

Fifa under-17 world cup indonesia 2023 - espen eskås (nor) to referee the final.

FIFA has appointed the officials in charge of 2023 Under 17 World Cup Final and Third Place Game.

Thursday 30 November 2023

Europa league 2023/24 - referee appointments - matchday 5.

  2023/24 UEFA Europa League Group Stage Matchday 5, referee appointments.

Europa Conference League 2023/24 - Referee Appointments - Matchday 5

  2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League, referee appointments for MD5. 

Wednesday 29 November 2023

Champions league 2023/24 - referee appointments - matchday 5 (ii).

Referee appointments for Matchday 5 of 2023-24 UEFA Champions League, second set of games to be played on Wednesday 29 November 2023. 

Tuesday 28 November 2023

Champions league 2023/24 - referee appointments - matchday 5 (i).

Referee appointments for Matchday 5 of 2023-24 UEFA Champions League, first set of games to be played on Tuesday 28 November 2023. 

Sunday 26 November 2023

Fifa under-17 world cup indonesia 2023 - referee appointments.

Friday 24 November 2023

2023-24 uefa women's nations league - referee appointments for md5 and md6.

Appointments for MD5 and 6 of UEFA Women's Nations League. 

Wednesday 22 November 2023

2023/24 uefa youth league - referee appointments - matchday 5 and domestic champions path round 2.

Appointments of referees in charge of 2023/24 Youth League Matchday 5 and Domestic Champions Path Round 2.

Tuesday 21 November 2023

2023/24 european qualifiers - referee appointments md10 (21 november 2023).

The last set of assignments for EURO 2024 Qualifiers,  Matchday 10, games to be played on 21 November 2023. 

Monday 20 November 2023

2023/24 european qualifiers - referee appointments md10 (20 november 2023).

EURO 2024 Qualifiers,  referee assignments for Matchday 10, set 2, games to be played on 20 November 2023. 

2023–24 UEFA Women's Champions League Matchday 2

Matchday 2 of 2023-24 UEFA Women's Champions League Group Stage, referee appointments. 

Sunday 19 November 2023

2025 uefa under-21 championship qualifiers (november 2023).

  2025 Under 21 Euro Qualification, November 2023 games.  

2023/24 European Qualifiers - Referee Appointments MD10 (19 November 2023)

EURO 2024 Qualifiers,  referee assignments for Matchday 10, set 1, games to be played on 19 November 2023. 

Saturday 18 November 2023

2023/24 european qualifiers - referee appointments md9 (18 november 2023).

EURO 2024 Qualifiers,  referee assignments for Matchday 9, set 3, games to be played on 18 November 2023. 

Friday 17 November 2023

2023/24 european qualifiers - referee appointments md9 (17 november 2023).

EURO 2024 Qualifiers,  referee assignments for Matchday 9, set 2, games to be played on 17 November 2023. 

Thursday 16 November 2023

2023/24 european qualifiers - referee appointments md9 (16 november 2023).

Crucial qualifiers on the road to EURO 2024 are about to be played. Let's start with referee assignments for Matchday 9, set 1, planned on 16 November 2023. 

Wednesday 15 November 2023

2023/24 european qualifiers - postponed games in group i - referee appointments.

Referee assignments for the games involving Israel, postponed following the current situation in the country. 

Tuesday 14 November 2023

2023–24 uefa women's champions league matchday 1.

Matchday 1 of 2023-24 UEFA Women's Champions League Group Stage, referee appointments. 

Thursday 9 November 2023

Europa league 2023/24 - referee appointments - matchday 4.

  2023/24 UEFA Europa League Group Stage Matchday 4, referee appointments.

Europa Conference League 2023/24 - Referee Appointments - Matchday 4

2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League, referee appointments for MD4. 

Wednesday 8 November 2023

Champions league 2023/24 - referee appointments - matchday 4 (ii).

Referee appointments for Matchday 4 of 2023-24 UEFA Champions League, second set of games to be played on Wednesday 8 November 2023. 

Tuesday 7 November 2023

Champions league 2023/24 - referee appointments - matchday 4 (i).

Referee appointments for Matchday 4 of 2023-24 UEFA Champions League, first set of games to be played on Tuesday 7 November 2023. 

Friday 3 November 2023

Fifa club world cup saudi arabia 2023 - selected officials.

Selected officials for 2023 CWC, to be played in Saudi Arabia from 12 to 22 December  2023. 

Wednesday 1 November 2023

2023/24 uefa youth league - referee appointments - matchday 4 and domestic champions path - round 2 (i).

Appointments of referees in charge of 2023/24 Youth League Matchday 4 and  Domestic Champions Path - Round 2, first legs . 

Monday 30 October 2023

2023-24 uefa women's nations league - referee appointments for md3 and md4, thursday 26 october 2023, europa league 2023/24 - referee appointments - matchday 3.

2023/24 UEFA Europa League Group Stage Matchday 3, referee appointments.

Europa Conference League 2023/24 - Referee Appointments - Matchday 3

2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League, referee appointments for MD3. 

Wednesday 25 October 2023

Champions league 2023/24 - referee appointments - matchday 3 (ii).

Matchday 3 of 2023-24 UEFA Champions League, Wednesday's set of games, to be played on 25 October 2023. 

Tuesday 24 October 2023

Champions league 2023/24 - referee appointments - matchday 3 (i).

Referee appointments for Matchday 3 of 2023-24 UEFA Champions League, first set of games to be played on Tuesday 24 October 2023. 

Thursday 19 October 2023

2023/24 uefa youth league - referee appointments - matchday 3 and domestic champions path - round 1 (ii).

Appointments of referees in charge of 2023/24 Youth League Matchday 3 and  Domestic Champions Path - Round 1, second legs . 

Wednesday 18 October 2023

2023–24 uefa women's champions league qualifiers round 2, second legs.

Referee appointments for 2023-24 Women's Champions League qualifiers, Round 2, second legs. 

Tuesday 17 October 2023

2023/24 european qualifiers - referee appointments md8 (17 october 2023).

MD8 of 2023/24 European Qualifiers, last set of referee appointments (17 October 2023). 

Monday 16 October 2023

2023/24 european qualifiers - referee appointments md8 (16 october 2023).

MD8 of 2023/24 European Qualifiers continues on Monday 16 October with the following referee appointments.

2023/24 European Qualifiers - Referee Appointments MD8 (15 October 2023)

MD8 of 2023/24 European Qualifiers starts on Sunday 15 October with the following referee appointments.

2025 UEFA Under-21 Championship Qualifiers (October 2023)

2025 Under 21 Euro Qualification, October 2023 games.  

Saturday 14 October 2023

2023/24 european qualifiers - referee appointments md7 (14 october 2023).

2023/24 European Qualifiers, third set of referee appointments for MD7, games to be played on 14 October.

Friday 13 October 2023

2023/24 european qualifiers - referee appointments md7 (13 october 2023).

2023/24 European Qualifiers, second set of referee appointments for MD7, games to be played on 13 October.

Thursday 12 October 2023

2023/24 european qualifiers - referee appointments md7 (12 october 2023).

2023/24 European Qualifiers, first set of referee appointments for MD7, games to be played on 12 October.

Everything you need to know about the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027

Find out key information about the tenth edition of the global showpiece, which will be hosted by Brazil.

Tenth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup will be held in 2027

Spain are the reigning champions

USA have won the tournament four times – more than any other nation

Where and when? Where and when?

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ will be hosted by Brazil. After a comprehensive bidding process, the winning proposal was announced following an open vote at the FIFA Congress in Bangkok on 17 May 2024. The exact dates of the competition will be confirmed in due course.

Register your interest in FIFA Women's World Cup 2027™ tickets Register your interest in FIFA Women's World Cup 2027™ tickets

Participating nations participating nations.

Following a successful expansion of the tournament at Australia & New Zealand 2023, the tournament will again feature 32 nations. Each confederation will stage qualifying competitions to determine the teams who will compete at the global finals.

Titles Titles

USA (4) Germany (2) Japan (1) Norway (1) Spain (1)

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Players with most appearances Players with most appearances

1st- Kristine Lilly (USA): 30            2nd- Formiga (BRA): 27      3rd- Abby Wambach (USA): 25      3rd- Carli Lloyd (USA): 25   5th- Julie Foudy (USA): 24 5th- Homare Sawa (JPN): 24    5th- Birgit Prinz (GER): 24 5th- Christine Sinclair (CAN): 24

Top scorers Top scorers

1st- Marta (BRA): 17 2nd- Birgit Prinz (GER:) 14 2nd- Abby Wambach (USA): 14 4th- Michelle Akers (USA): 12 5th- Cristiane (BRA): 11 5th- Sun Wen (CHN): 11 5th- Bettina Wiegmann (GER) 11