FIFA has named the match officials for fixtures 49 through 54 of the 2026 World Cup, continuing its methodical rollout of assignments for a tournament that will be the largest in the competition’s history. Among the appointments are two officials who are about to do something no one in their profession has done before.
Alireza Faghani, a referee with ties to both Australia and Iran, and Argentine assistant referee Juan Pablo Belatti have been appointed to their fourth men’s World Cup. That’s a first. No match official has ever reached that milestone in the men’s tournament.
The biggest officiating operation in World Cup history
The 2026 World Cup, spread across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, is a logistical beast. The expanded format means 104 matches, up from 64 at the 2022 edition in Qatar. That kind of scale demands a massive officiating infrastructure.
FIFA’s answer: 170 match officials in total. That breaks down to 52 referees, 88 assistant referees, and 30 video match officials. It is, by a comfortable margin, the largest officiating roster ever assembled for a World Cup.
