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FIFA has released its list of match officials for the World Cup scheduled from June 11 to July 19, naming 52 referees, including six women.
The governing body will also appoint 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials, drawn from all six confederations and 50 member associations.
FIFA’s head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, said the officials represent the highest standard in the game.
“The selected match officials are the very best in the world,” said Collina.
He explained that they were selected from a larger group monitored over the past three years, during which they took part in seminars, officiated at FIFA tournaments, and were consistently evaluated in both domestic and international matches.
“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.”
The upcoming tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be the largest World Cup to date, featuring 48 teams and a total of 104 matches.
That expansion is reflected in the number of officials, with 41 more selected than for the 2022 tournament in Qatar, which had 32 teams and 64 matches.
Collina also noted the continued inclusion of women referees, saying it builds on progress made in Qatar, where female officials were part of the World Cup for the first time, as FIFA looks to further develop women’s refereeing at the highest level.
“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,” Collina said, with six women having already refereed in 2022.
