With the 2026 World Cup one week away, a record 48 teams will compete across the United States, Canada and Mexico in the expanded tournament. According to ESPN, the increase to 48 teams and 104 matches has led to a larger officiating pool, with as many as 170 referees, assistant referees and video assistant referees named for the event.
According to ESPN, the tournament roster includes 52 match referees, a number sufficient for each to oversee two games. The selection represents an increase of 16 referees compared with the 2022 World Cup. Fifteen of those referees come from UEFA — among them Poland’s Szymon Marciniak, who officiated the 2022 final, and England’s Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver. CONMEBOL supplied 12 referees, CONCACAF nine (including four from the host nations), the AFC eight, CAF seven and a single referee from Oceania, New Zealand’s Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh.
Assistant referees have also increased, with 88 selected for the tournament — 19 more than at Qatar 2022, when 69 were chosen, according to ESPN. The assistant group spans all six confederations. Examples listed include Mohamed Al-Hammadi (UAE), George Lakrindis (Australia), Elvis Noupue (Cameroon), David Moran (El Salvador) and Sandra Ramirez (Mexico).
ESPN notes the full slate of officials will cover on-field duties and the expanded video assistant referee operations required for 104 matches. The combined pool of referees, assistant referees and VAR officials is intended to meet the logistical demands of the larger tournament schedule.
The selection of match officials is provided by confederation in the full listing published with the announcement, according to ESPN. That breakdown names referees and assistant referees from each confederation and identifies the single Oceania referee and the distribution across UEFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, AFC and CAF.
