FIFA Unveils Match Officials for 2026 World Cup, Includes Six Women Referees
World football governing body FIFA has announced its list of match officials for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19.
A total of 52 referees, including six women, have been selected for the tournament. In addition, FIFA named 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials drawn from all six football confederations and representing 50 member associations worldwide.
Speaking on the selection, Pierluigi Collina described the officials as the finest globally, noting that they were carefully chosen from a larger pool monitored over the past three years.
“The selected match officials are the very best in the world,” Collina said, adding that they have undergone rigorous training, attended seminars, and officiated at various FIFA competitions, with their performances consistently assessed at both domestic and international levels.
The 2026 tournament, to be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will be the largest in World Cup history. It will feature an expanded format of 48 teams competing in 104 matches—significantly higher than the 64 matches played by 32 teams at the 2022 edition in Qatar.
FIFA noted that the inclusion of six women referees continues a progressive trend first introduced at the 2022 World Cup, as part of efforts to further advance women’s participation in elite officiating.
The number of match officials for the 2026 tournament has increased by 41 compared to the previous edition, reflecting the expanded scale and global significance of the competition.
AFP
FIFA Unveils Match Officials for 2026 World Cup, Includes Six Women Referees