Expanded Officiating Team Announced for 2026 World Cup

Expanded Officiating Team Announced for 2026 World Cup
Tournament expands to 48 teams and 104 fixtures
Six women included in global officiating team selection

FIFA has announced the list of match officials for the 2026 World Cup, confirming an expanded officiating team for what will be the largest tournament in football history.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that a total of 52 referees, including six women, have been appointed to oversee matches scheduled between June 11 and July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The referees will be assisted by 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials selected from all six continental confederations and 50 member associations.

FIFA’s chief refereeing officer, Pierluigi Collina, said the selected officials represent the highest level of global officiating.

“The selected match officials are the very best in the world,” he said.

“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 2026 tournament will feature 48 teams and 104 matches, a major increase from the 64 matches played at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. FIFA noted that the expanded number of officials reflects the demands of the new competition format.

Collina also highlighted the continued inclusion of female referees as part of FIFA’s efforts to promote gender diversity in officiating

“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.