From the referee who infuriated Barça to 2 main female referees, FIFA publishes the list of black jackets that will administer justice at the World Cup

FIFA has released the list of referees who will officiate the 2026 World Cup, a tournament that will take place this summer in the United States, as part of a joint organization with Canada and Mexico.

After a months-long selection and evaluation process, football's governing body has finalized the names of referees from all confederations, including several figures who have been at the center of criticism during the last season.

Discussed names and surprises in the selection

The list also includes Romanian Istvan Kovac, who has been criticized for controversial decisions, including in the Champions League match between Barcelona and Atletico.

Meanwhile, it is notable that only one main referee, Maurizio Mariani, has been selected from Italy, while the other Italian referees have been assigned the role of VAR. This is considered a rare case compared to previous tournaments.

Representation of female judges

Another important element is the inclusion of two female judges in the role of main referees: Katia Garcia from Mexico and Tori Penso from the United States.

This development reflects the growing trend of women's involvement at the highest levels of international arbitration.

The list includes referees from all confederations:

UEFA : Michael Oliver, Antoni Taylor, Fransua Leteksie, Klement Turpe, Felix Zvajer, Maurizio Mariani, Deni Makeli, Espen Eskas, Szimon Marciniak, Zhoao Pineiro, Istvan Kovac, Slavko Vinčič, Alehandro Hernandez Hernandez, Glen Nyberg, Sandro Sharer.

AFC : Adham Makhadmeh, Ning Ma, Alireza Faghani, Jusuke Araki, Abdulrahman Al Jasim, Khalid Al Turais, Ilgiz Tantashev.

CAF : Mustafa Ghorbal, Pierre Atço, Amin Mohamed, Jhalal Xhajed, Dahane Beida, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, Abongile Tom.

CONCACAF : Dru Fisher, Juan Calderon, Said Martinez, Oshan Nejjon, Cesar Ramos, Katia Garcia, Ivan Barton, Ismail Elfath, Tori Penso.

CONMEBOL : Jael Falcon Perez, Dario Herrera, Facundo Tejo, Ramon Abati, Rafael Klaus, Wilton Sampaio, Kristian Garaj, Andres Rojas, Juan Gabriel Benitez, Kevin Ortega, Gustavo Tehera, Jesus Valenzuela.

OFC : Campbell-Kerk Kauana-Uo.

fifa arbitrat e botërorit

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