As 48 nations battle for World Cup glory, another group has endured a similarly grueling path to soccer’s biggest stage: the referees.
This year, 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video assistant referees (VARs) have been selected. The 170-strong contingent is the largest in World Cup history, with the expanded format now featuring a record 48 teams and 104 matches.
The officials come from 50 FIFA member nations across all continental confederations, with eight representing the United States. Among them are also six women, following FIFA’s historic move to include female referees at the last edition in Qatar.
It’s a role that has been unexpectedly thrust into the limelight. A Somali referee slated for the showpiece was denied entry to the US due to “vetting concerns.” A record three red cards were brandished in the opening game. In China, fans are rallying behind one referee as the country’s sole representative after the national team failed to qualify.
“It was my first World Cup game – and South Korea’s first World Cup game ever (at home), too. We had 50,000 spectators all in red jerseys. The noise was incredible,” Leif Lindberg, one of the two assistant referees at the 2002 final between Brazil and Germany, tells CNN Sports of his World Cup debut on June 4, 2002.
