Today, when Alireza Faghani steps onto the pitch to referee the match between France and Senegal at the 2026 World Cup, he will mark his fourth appearance in football’s greatest tournament. A referee who once played in the lower leagues of Iranian football has now transformed into one of the most widely recognized figures in global officiating, a figure whose name is tied not only to football but, in recent years, has also become central to the narrative of immigration, politics, and the Islamic Republic’s fraught relationship with independent athletes.
France vs. Senegal: Returning to the Grandest Stage
For most referees, officiating in a single World Cup represents the absolute pinnacle of their professional career. For Faghani, however, reaching this stage has become a regular fixture of his résumé.
His selection to referee the 2026 World Cup group-stage clash between France and Senegal is the continuation of a journey that began at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, later weaving through Russia and Qatar. Few referees in football history have managed to secure selections across four consecutive World Cups. This extensive track record makes the elite Iranian official one of FIFA’s most trusted referees today. Many experts view him as a prime candidate to referee the tournament’s most critical knockout matches, including the World Cup final itself.
