China hasn’t fielded a men’s soccer team at the World Cup since 2002. That’s 24 years of watching from the sidelines, a drought long enough that an entire generation of fans has grown up without ever seeing their country compete on the sport’s biggest stage.
So Chinese fans did what any resourceful, passionate fanbase would do. They found someone else to cheer for.
Ma Ning, a 46-year-old referee and the only Chinese match official at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, has become an unexpected vessel for national pride. His debut assignment, officiating Ecuador vs. Curaçao, generated the kind of social media frenzy typically reserved for star players, not the guy holding the whistle.
The Card Master takes the world stage
Ma earned his nickname “Card Master” back in 2015 after a single match in Shanghai where he issued nine yellow cards and three red cards.
