FIFA World Cup 2026 has announced the list of match officials for the upcoming tournament, unveiling 52 referees, including six women, ahead of the competition scheduled for June 11 to July 19.
Football’s world governing body also confirmed 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials, drawn from all six confederations and 50 member associations.
According to FIFA’s Chief Refereeing Officer, Pierluigi Collina, the selected officials represent the highest standard in global officiating.
“The selected match officials are the very best in the world. They were part of a wider pool of officials that was identified and monitored over the past three years. They have attended seminars and officiated at FIFA tournaments.
“In addition, their performances in domestic and international matches were regularly assessed,” he said.
The tournament, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will be the biggest in history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches.
This marks an increase of 41 match officials compared to the 2022 edition in Qatar, which had 32 teams and 64 matches.
Collina also highlighted the continued inclusion of women officials, noting that six have been selected for the tournament, following the milestone set at the 2022 World Cup where women also officiated matches.
“The fact that six women match officials have been selected continues a trend that was started four years ago in Qatar as we aim to further develop women’s refereeing,” he added.
