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World Cup referees: Full list of match officials at Qatar 2022 and which English refs are there

There are 36 referees at the 2022 world cup, including three women, two from the premier league, and a texan who now refs in nz.

World Cup referees have already attracted plenty of attention in Qatar since the beginning of the tournament. Most notably the decision to stop the clock more often and increase the number of minutes in stoppage time that has already made an impact on the tournament.

With referees seeking to cut time wasting out of the game, matches at Qatar 2022 are now running closer to 100 minutes. All this in the middle of the domestic club season for many nations, with players barely having had a rest since August.

Referees also appear to have more autonomy over VAR calls. Whereas in the Premier League you are almost guaranteed to see a match official change their mind if the VAR suggests they look at the monitor, in this World Cup it has been quite different.

Mexican official Cesar Ramos was asked to check the TV replay in Denmark’s clash with Tunisia following a late penalty claim. He went over, had a good look, and refused to change his decision. America’s Ismail Elfath, meanwhile, felt he didn’t need VAR to give Cristiano Ronaldo a freak penalty against Ghana.

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Fifa will argue they have got the refereeing standards right, and it is true that we haven’t yet endured anything like the Howard Webb moment of 2010 . Still, there is time yet for an official to make a mess of it and suffer the inevitable abuse that comes with this sport.

There are 36 referees at the World Cup 2022 . Here, i details each official and the big finals they have overseen…

Uefa (Europe)

11 referees | 20 assistants | 11 VARs

• Istvan Kovacs (Romania) – 2022 Uefa Europa Conference League final
• Stephanie Frappart (France) – 2019 Uefa Super Cup
• Danny Makkelie (The Netherlands) – 2018 Europa League final
• Szymon Marciniak (Poland) – Two games at 2018 Fifa World Cup
• Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain) – 2021 Champions League final
• Michael Oliver (England) – 2021 FA Cup final
• Daniele Orsato (Italy) – 2020 Champions League final
• Daniel Siebert (Germany) – 2021 Arab Cup final
• Anthony Taylor (England) – 2017 FA Cup final, 2020 Uefa Super Cup, 2021 Uefa Nations League Final
• Clement Turpin (France) – 2021 Uefa Europa League final, 2022 Uefa Champions League
• Slavko Vincic (Slovenia) – 2022 Europa League final

Europe has 11 referees at this World Cup, including two from England. However, neither Michael Oliver nor Anthony Taylor were given a game to officiate in the first round of group games. There are claims this is punishment by Fifa for England’s stance against discrimination in Qatar.

The 2022 Champions League final referee Clement Turpin is at the tournament, as is Slavko Vincic from the Europa League final, and the Conference League final ref Istvan Kovacs.

France’s Stephanie Frappart became the first woman to officiate at a men’s World Cup when she was appointed fourth official for Mexico’s Group C clash with Poland.

AFC – (Asia)

6 referees | 10 assistants | 4 VARs

• Abdulrahman al-Jassim (Qatar) – 2019 Fifa Club World Cup final
• Chris Beath (Australia) – 2021 Fifa Club World Cup final
• Alireza Faghani (Iran) – 2014 AFC Champions League final
• Ma Ning (China) – One match at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup
• Mohammed Abdulla Mohamed (UAE) – 2015 Asian Cup
• Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan) – 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup, 2020 Summer Olympics

Asia have six referees at this World Cup, including Yoshimi Yamashita – the ref of the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup and 2020 Summer Olympics. Qatar’s Abdulrahman al-Jassim oversaw the 2019 Fifa Club World Cup final, where Liverpool beat Flamengo 1-0 at the Khalifa Stadium thanks to an extra-time goal from Roberto Firmino.

CAF – (Africa)

6 referees | 10 assistants | 2 VARs

• Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda) – 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup, 2022 Africa Cup of Nations
• Maguette Ndiaye (Senegal) – 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
• Bakary Papa Gassama (Gambia) – 2015 Africa Cup of Nations
• Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria) – 2020 CAF Champions League final
• Victor Gomes (South Africa) – 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final
• Janny Sikazwe (Zambia) – 2016 Fifa Club World Cup final, 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final

Africa’s contingent of six referees at this World Cup naturally have plenty of Afcon experience, while Zambia’s Janny Sikazwe oversaw the 2016 Fifa Club World Cup final between Real Madrid and Kashima Antlers.

Rwandan ref Salima Mukansanga has previously worked at the Olympics and the Africa Cup of Nations, and officiated a group game at the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup.

Concacaf – (North/Central America and Caribbean)

5 referees | 12 assistants | 3 VARs

• Mario Escobar (Guatemala) – 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup final, 2020 Concacaf Champions League final
• Ivan Barton (Salvador) – 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup
• Ismail Elfath (United States) – 2019 Fifa U-20 World Cup final, 2020 Olympics, 2022 MLS Cup final
• Said Martinez (Honduras) – Concacaf Gold Cup final
• César Ramos (Mexico) – 2017 Fifa Club World Cup final

Just five referees from the Caribbean, North and Central America appear at this World Cup. This includes American Ismail Elfath who recently oversaw the 2022 MLS Cup final, which Gareth Bale’s LAFC won on a penalty shoot-out against Philadelphia Union. César Ramos took charge of the 2017 Fifa Club World Cup final between Real Madrid and Gremio in Abu Dhabi.

Conmebol – (South America)

7 referees | 15 assistants | 4 VARs

• Raphael Claus (Brazil) – 2021 Copa América third place playoff
• Facundo Tello (Argentina) – 2022 Argentina Champions Trophy final
• Jesus Valenzuela (Venezuela) – 2021 Copa America
• Andres Matonte (Uruguay) – 2021 Arab Cup
• Kevin Ortega (Peru) – 2020 Summer Olympics, 2022 Copa Libertadores
• Fernando Rapallini (Argentina) – 2017 Copa Argentina, 2020 Copa Libertadores final, Euro 2020
• Wilton Sampaio (Brazil) – 2021 Copa América, 2022 Copa do Brasil final

Argentine Néstor Pitana was the man in the middle for the 2018 World Cup final but isn’t at this year’s tournament. Instead, two other Argentines and two Brazilians and make up the seven-person Conmebol contingent at this World Cup.

This includes Pitana’s natural successor Fernando Rapallini, who refereed at Euro 2020 last year. Wilton Sampaio, meanwhile, recently oversaw Flamengo’s penalty shoot-out victory over Corinthians in the 2022 Copa do Brasil final.

OFC – (Oceania)

1 referee | 2 assistants

• Matthew Conger (New Zealand) – 2018 Fifa World Cup

Texas-born Matthew Conger is the only official from the Oceana region as Australia’s Chris Beath comes under the AFC banner. Conger is New Zealand’s leading referee and conducted one game at the 2018 World Cup, where Nigeria beat Iceland 2-0 in Volgograd.

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Meet the referees taking charge of World Cup 2022

History will be made this year as six female match officials travel to a World Cup for the first time in its history.

The role of a match official at a World Cup is often a thankless job.

While players are heaped with praise when they do outstanding work, referees are rarely hailed for doing their job well. Instead, they are routinely lambasted – by players, managers and fans over the slightest of errors.

Keep reading

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The reality is that the high-stakes role requires a comprehensive knowledge of the game’s rules, an elite fitness level – often requiring them to run more than outfield players – and years of hard work.

For World Cup 2022, FIFA has released a list of 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials overseeing the video assistant referee (VAR) system.This will be the first World Cup with female match officials – referees Stéphanie Frappart (France), Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda) and Yoshimi Yamashita  (Japan); assistant referees Neuza Back (Brazil), Karen Díaz Medina (Mexico) and Kathryn Nesbitt (US).

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will also see the introduction of the new Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Semi-Automated Offside Technology. The system currently being trialled in the UEFA Champions League group stages is designed to improve the accuracy of offside decisions. Cameras installed under the roof of the stadium track all 22 players recording data points and calculating their exact position on the pitch.

Referees will also utilise goal-line technology, introduced during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The system uses 14 high-speed cameras to create a 3D image animation that can notify the referee immediately if the ball has crossed the line.

Who will referee the 2022 World Cup?

Afc – asian football confederation.

• Six referees
• 10 assistant referees
• Four video match officials

Abdulrahman al-Jassim (Qatar) – The 35-year-old Qatari has been a FIFA referee since 2013 and has officiated several high-profile fixtures. He worked as a VAR official at Russia 2018. He has also refereed at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup final between Liverpool and Clube de Regatas do Flamengo.

Chris Beath (Australia) – Like al-Jassim, Beath made a name for himself on the international stage by refereeing at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Alireza Faghani (Iran) – Hailing from Kashmar in northeast Iran, Faghani played football in the country’s third tier before eventually moving into refereeing. He refereed the 2014 AFC Champions League final, the 2018 World Cup and now plies his trade in Australia’s A-League.

Alireza Faghani, one of the top referees in the world, will become a full-time referee for the 2019/20 @ALeague season! pic.twitter.com/pTpf9ZX8WH — AFC (@theafcdotcom) September 20, 2019

Ma Ning (China) – Ma Ning is only the second Chinese referee to participate in the World Cup.

Mohammed Abdulla Mohamed (UAE) – The Emirati has been a FIFA referee since 2010 and has refereed at the AFC Asian Cup.

Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan) – In April 2022, Yamashita became the first female official to oversee an AFC Champions League match in which she issued three yellow cards to Melbourne City.

“I want it to be seen as perfectly normal for women to referee men’s games, so what is happening in Qatar needs to continue. I feel a certain amount of pressure to win everyone’s trust.”

CAF – Confederation of African football

• Two video match officials

Bakary Papa Gassama  (Gambia) – This will be Gassama’s third World Cup appearance after Brazil 2018 and Russia 2018.

Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria) – The 37-year-old Algerian has refereed several international matches, including the 2020 CAF Champions League final between Egyptian sides Zamalek and Al Ahly, in which he issued two red cards and five yellow cards.

Victor Gomes (South Africa) – A tough-talking no-nonsense referee, Gomes has made headlines on more than one occasion. In 2018, he reportedly turned down a $30,000 bribe to fix a CAF Confederation Cup game between Nigeria’s Plateau United and Algeria’s USM Alger. In the 2021 AFCON final, Gomes sternly told Egyptian superstar Mohammed Salah to stop complaining before sarcastically offering him his whistle.

Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda) – Mukansanga is continuously making history. She is the first woman from her native Rwanda to referee the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the first woman to ever officiate at the African Cup of Nations and now one of the first women to referee at the men’s World Cup.

Janny Sikazwe (Zambia) – Sikazwe boasts an impressive CV, having refereed the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup final and the 2017 AFCON final and becoming the first Zambian referee to officiate a World Cup in 2018.

However, he is perhaps best remembered for incorrectly calling full-time in the 85th and 89th minute in an AFCON clash between Tunisia and Mali in January this year. It later emerged that he had suffered heat stroke and was later taken to hospital.

Maguette Ndiaye (Senegal) – The Senegalese referee officiated several matches at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

CONCACAF – Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football.

• Five referees
• 12 assistant referees
• Three video match officials

Ivan Barton (Salvador) – Iván Barton, aged 30, has officiated at the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, overseeing the semi-final between Jamaica and the United States and the CONCACAF Nations League.

Ismail Elfath (United States) – Born in Morocco, Elfath came to the US when he was 18 years of age after winning a visa lottery. He made his MLS refeering debut in 2011 and since then has become one of the country’s most respected officials, picking up the MLS Referee of the Year award twice in the past three years. He has officiated at several international tournaments, including the semi-final of the 2019 Club World Cup.

Congratulations to Ismail Elfath, the 2022 MLS Referee of the Year! 👏 pic.twitter.com/AugFkcoJ0r — Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 14, 2022

Mario Escobar (Guatemala) – The 36 year old has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2013 and officiated several CONCACAF tournaments.

Said Martinez (Honduras) – At 31 years of age, Said is one of three referees from Central America to officiate at the 2022 World Cup. Said, who also has a degree in Mathematics, refereed the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup final between the United States and Mexico, issuing three yellow cards in extra time.

César Ramos (Mexico) – The 38-year-old Mexican has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2014. He officiated three matches at the 2018 World Cup, including a group stage 1-1 draw between Brazil and Switzerland. During the game, the Brazil players expressed their displeasure with Ramos after he dismissed claims of fouls on two occasions and ruled out any VAR review.

CONMEBOL – South American Football Confederation

• Seven referees
• 15 assistant referees

Raphael Claus (Brazil) – The experienced Brazilian most recently refereed at the 2021 Copa América.

Andres Matias Matonte Cabrera (Uruguay) – The Uruguayan most recently officiated at the Arab Cup in 2021. He oversaw Qatar’s 5-0 quarter-final win over UAE, in which he issued two penalties within eight minutes of each other.

Kevin Ortega (Peru) – At 30, the Peruvian referee is one of the youngest on the plane to Qatar. He has officiated several high-pressure matches, including a semi-final in the 2020 Summer Olympics between Spain and Japan.

Fernando Rapallini (Argentina) – The Argentine boasts a wealth of experience officiating in the Argentinian Primera División and international tournaments. Rapallini made history in 2021 when he became the first South American referee to officiate at a European Championship.

Wilton Sampaio (Brazil) – The 40-year-old has been FIFA-listed since 2013 and most recently officiated at the 2021 Copa América.

Facundo Tello (Argentina) – Tello made a name for himself in Argentina after being selected to referee in the country’s first division after only four matches in the second tier. In 2021, he travelled to Qatar to officiate in the 2021 FIFA Arab World Cup.

Jesus Valenzuela (Venezuela) – The 38 year old was first listed as a FIFA referee in 2013. In July 2021, he officiated the infamous semi-final between Colombia and Argentina in the Copa América, in which Valenzuela dished out 10 yellow cards.

There were 20 (!!!) fouls called in the first half of Argentina-Colombia 🤕 pic.twitter.com/GJEugKppV8 — International Champions Cup (@IntChampionsCup) July 7, 2021

OFC – Oceania Football Confederation

• One referee
• Two assistant referees

Matthew Conger (New Zealand) – Since Australia joined the AFC in 2006, Conger is the only referee representing the OFC at the 2022 World Cup. Originally from Texas, in the US, the part-time teacher refereed one group stage match in the 2018 World Cup.

UEFA  – Union of European Football Associations

• 11 referees
• 20 assistant referees
• 11 video match officials

Istvan Kovacs (Romania) – The veteran goalkeeper is set to officiate at his first World Cup this year, having impressed in recent matches, including the Manchester City versus Real Madrid thriller earlier this year in the Champions League. Kovacs played a smart advantage allowing Bernado Silva to rifle home a shot after Toni Kroos fouled Oleksandr Zinchenko in the build-up.

Stephanie Frappart (France) – Frappart plies her trade in France’s Ligue 1 but has notched several high-profile international appearances recently, including the 2019 UEFA Super Cup between Liverpool and Chelsea. In 2020, she became the first woman to referee a Champions League match. In 2022, she officiated the 2022 Coupe de France final between Nice and Nantes.

👏 You just love to see it 💪 Stephanie Frappart becomes the first woman to referee a men's @ChampionsLeague match 🛣 Way to blaze a trail, Stephanie pic.twitter.com/j20ywQi4Z1 — FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) December 2, 2020

Danny Makkelie (The Netherlands) – The experienced Dutch referee and part-time policeman has long officiated high-profile matches, including the 2018 Europa League final. The four matches he refereed during last year’s European Championships made him a household name. In the semi-final between Denmark and England at Wembley, Makkelie awarded a controversial penalty to England that allowed them to progress to the final.

Szymon Marciniak (Poland) – The 41-year-old Polish referee comes with bags of experience, having notched up three games at the 2016 European Championships and two at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain) – The Spaniard is known for his unorthodox chatty approach to officiating but is highly rated by UEFA, who entrusted him with officiating the 2021 Champions League final. In the 2020 European Championships, Mateu oversaw a fractious 2-2 draw between France and Portugal in the group stages, in which he awarded three penalties and four yellow cards.

Michael Oliver (England) – The English referee comes with plenty of domestic experience, officiating high-profile games, such as the 2021 FA Cup final. Oliver has also become a regular in the Champions League, where he is perhaps best remembered for awarding a penalty to Real Madrid that ultimately led to their progression at the expense of Juventus. The decision sparked the usually calm and collected Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon to accuse Oliver of having a “trash can” for a heart.

Daniele Orsato (Italy) – A mainstay of the Champions League, Orsato has refereed both 2020 Champions League final between Bayern Munich and PSG. He also worked as a VAR referee during the 2018 World Cup.

Daniel Siebert (Germany) – He officiated three matches at the 2020 European Championships and was the referee for the 2021 Arab Cup final between Tunisia and Algeria.

Anthony Taylor (England) – The 44-year-old referee has recently been entrusted with fixtures such as the Nations League final between France and Spain. He refereed Denmark versus Finland match in the 2020 European Championships where Christain Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch. Taylor was praised for spotting the situation quickly and swiftly organising medical treatment.

Clement Turpin (France) – Turpin has officiated at the 2016 and 2020 European Championships and the 2018 World Cup. In the 2021-22 season, he officiated nine matches in the UEFA Champions League, including the final.

Slavko Vincic (Slovenia) – Vincic, a qualified telecommunications engineer, was encouraged to try refereeing by his uncle when he was 20 years old. Eleven years later, he was listed as a FIFA referee. He officiated three matches in the 2020 European Championships. He was the referee for this year’s Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers.

In 2020 Vincic made headlines after being arrested in connection with a police probe into a prostitution and drugs ring operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

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Who will referee the World Cup semi-finals?

By max parsons | dec 13, 2022.

Well, the refereeing at the 2022 World Cup has been nothing if not controversial.

There have been gargantuan quantities of drama to enjoy - well, neutrals and beneficiaries will have enjoyed it - throughout the tournament so far and, with the semi-finals in sight, don't expect the tension to subside just yet.

And don't be surprised to see the officiating contribute to that - but who are the officials in the middle for those World Cup semi-finals?

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• Daniele Orsato: The referee officiating Argentina vs Croatia at the World Cup

Referee for Argentina vs Croatia

We'll have a mostly Italian officiating team for the first semi-final of this World Cup, with main man Daniele Orsato being backed up by compatriots Ciro Carbone and Alessandro Giallatini - and Massimiliano Irrati as the VAR - with the UAE's Mohamed Mohammed as the fourth official.

Orsato has overseen two fixtures at the 2022 World Cup so far, handing out 11 yellow cards in the process.

There has, however, been little controversy in the games he has officiated thus far; Argentina's 2-0 win over Mexico contained little drama and, despite an early disallowed goal raising a few eyebrows, neither did Ecuador's curtain-raising 2-0 victory over hosts Qatar.

Referee for France vs Morocco

Alongside Venezuelan fourth official Jesus Valenzuela, France and Morocco will be overlooked by a largely Mexican officiating team, headed by Cesar Ramos in the middle, with Alberto Morin and Miguel Hernandez as assistants.

Ramos has officiated three fuss-less matches in Qatar so far, handing out just seven bookings in that time. The Mexican has already overseen a Moroccan win in the competition, refereeing their incredible 2-0 group-stage victory over Belgium as well as Denmark's 0-0 draw with Tunisia and Portugal's 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland in the final 16.

Canadian VAR Drew Fischer, however, might dispel any pre-match rumours of partiality towards Morocco.

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Who is referee for World Cup final? Szymon Marciniak will take charge of Argentina vs. France

Playing in a FIFA World Cup final is a massive honor for the squads taking part in the tournament, but for football match officials, it is the biggest reward one can achieve in the profession.

Only one person every four years can officiate a men's World Cup final, and the chosen individual is often regarded the best referee in men's world football.

This year's tournament will see a new face named to officiate a World Cup final again, as nobody has ever officiated two World Cup finals. With Argentina and France set to face off in a massive matchup of heavyweights, there will be enormous pressure on the match official selected for the game.

Following major speculation, FIFA have confirmed Polish referee Szymon Marciniak will be the man in the middle in Lusail.

MORE: When does the 2022 World Cup final kickoff?

Who is the referee for the World Cup final?

Marciniak's elevation to the most high-profile match at Qatar 2022 is a slight surprise based on the tournament being just his second World Cup as a referee.

pic.twitter.com/1FTEXXvTal — FIFA Media (@fifamedia) December 15, 2022

FIFA rules stipulate match referees must meet specific criteria on suitability for certain World Cup matches, including not being allowed to referee your home nation.

Marciniak has already refereed two matches in the competition, one each involving France and Argentina, en route to a reunion in the final.

Referees who were eligible for 2022 World Cup final

Thanks to numerous reports from various journalists covering the 2022 World Cup, including ESPN's rules expert Dale Johnson , 12 officials were eventually shortlisted for the World Cup final, before FIFA opted for Marciniak.

Below is a table of the 12 match officials shortlisted for selection:

How do FIFA select a World Cup final referee?

FIFA selected from one of the shortlisted officials to lead the 2022 World Cup final. However, there are a number of restrictions which FIFA uses to ensure there can be no real or perceived bias on the part of the match official

The only official FIFA regulation regarding referee assignments states that the official "shall not come from a member association that is represented by a team playing in the group or match in question." No officials on the final 12-man list  are from either Argentina or France.

FIFA has also worked around unofficial barriers to allow for as little room for perceived bias. Most notably, they often look to avoid having referees working on World Cup matches with teams from their own confederation or region. Often, this is impossible with regards to European nations due to the vast number of participants (remember, FIFA rules regarding teams from confederations at the World Cup draw apply to all continents except  Europe for the same reason), but for other continents and regions, they do their best.

Daniele Orsato and Cesar Ramos being selected to officiate semifinal matches meant they were unlikely to be tipped for the final, although that is also not an official rule.

In that same vein, Jesus Valenzuela and Mohammed Abdulah Hassan were selected as fourth officials for the two semifinal matches, and were unlikely to be picked for the final.

Past World Cup final referees

The first man to officiate a World Cup final was Belgian official John Langenus in 1930, when Uruguay beat Argentina 2-1 at home in the first World Cup tournament.

England have had the most World Cup final officials with four, while Italy have had three. Nobody has ever officiated two men's World Cup finals.

* Team won on penalties

Kyle Bonn is a soccer content producer for The Sporting News.

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World Cup 2022

How the referees for the 2022 qatar world cup are chosen.

There will be 36 referees, 69 assistants and 24 video match officials at the World Cup in Qatar

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F IFA have announced the list of referees who will officiate at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar .

There will be 36 referees, 69 assistants and 24 video match officials heading over the tournament.

The process began three years ago, when up to 50 refereeing trios were analyzed as possible candidates.

The list of referees who will be at the 2022 Qatar World Cup

The official version is that the "best referees" are selected for the World Cup , but in reality there are a number of geographical and political considerations at play.

In addition, they must be over 25 years old and under 45.

World Cup referees are selected by FIFA's chief referee together, a 16-member committee plus a medical representative.

Ten of them are former referees and two others are in charge of judging their local leagues.

Although it hasn't been announced which referees will officiate which matches, it's important to remember that none of them can referee a match played by their national team.

Their performances in the first phase of the World Cup will determine if they are kept around for the knockout rounds.

Female representation

For the first time in the history of this tournament, there will be three female referees.

They are France's Stephanie Frappart , Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda and Japan's Yoshimi Yamashita .

Three assistant referees have also been chosen: Neuza Back of Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina of Mexico and Kathryn Nesbitt of the United States.

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World Cup referees: Which officials are in contention to take charge of the final?

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Wilton Sampaio, the heavily-criticised referee who took charge of England's World Cup quarter-final with France , is surprisingly still in with a chance of officiating the final of the tournament.

A total of 36 referees from around the globe were selected by FIFA at the start of the competition, but that number has now been slashed to 12 for the final week of action.

Per the Daily Mail , 40-year-old Sampaio is reportedly among the dozen officials who have been asked to remain in Qatar by football's governing body.

That's despite a questionable showing in Saturday's encounter at Al Bayt Stadium, which Three Lions defender Harry Maguire called "really poor" after the match.

READ MORE: England vs France: Harry Maguire's interview about referee after World Cup defeat

Sampaio made a number of controversial decisions during England's 2-1 defeat, including refusing to penalise Dayot Upamecano for his rash challenge on Bukayo Saka in the build-up to Aurelien Tchouameni's opener for France.

The referee then refused to give either a penalty or a free-kick outside the box for a clumsy challenge on the very edge of the area by Upamecano on Harry Kane.

Check out our 2022 World Cup hub page

There were also several other incidents throughout the match that left the England camp frustrated. As Maguire would later put it: "He [Sampaio] never gave us anything!"

Given the level of debate over his performance, it's really quite a shock that Sampaio has been selected to remain at the tournament when many other established referees have been informed that their services are no longer required.

Which referees have been sent home from the 2022 World Cup after the quarter-finals?

Among those to have returned home ahead of the semi-finals include respected Premier League official Michael Oliver.

The 37-year-old was praised for his work during the three matches he took charge of in Qatar - including Croatia's quarter-final victory over Brazil - but that hasn't resulted in any further assignments for the Northumberland-based man.

AL RAYYAN, QATAR - DECEMBER 09: Neymar of Brazil speaks to Referee Michael Oliver during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final match between Croatia and Brazil at Education City Stadium on December 09, 2022 in Al Rayyan, Qatar. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Joining Oliver in departing the Gulf state will be all three female officials who were breaking new ground at this World Cup.

Stephanie Frappart of France, Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda and Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan were all absent from FIFA's final list of 12.

Elsewhere, Argentina fans will be pleased to hear that Antonio Mateu Lahoz's tournament is over.

LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - DECEMBER 09: Referee Antonio Mateu shows a yellow card to Lionel Messi of Argentina during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final match between Netherlands and Argentina at Lusail Stadium on December 09, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

The Spanish official was described as "useless" by Argentine goalkeeper Emi Martinez after he lost all control of Friday's quarter-final against the Netherlands.

The 45-year-old brandished no less than 17 yellow cards in the ill-tempered showdown. However, he won't be adding to his tally of cards at this edition of the World Cup as he's among those who have been cut by FIFA.

Which referees could potentially officiate the World Cup final?

The 2022 World Cup final could still be overseen by an Englishman.

Premier League official Anthony Taylor remains part of the contingent of officials still involved at the tournament, together with his assistants Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn.

Another official who remains in contention to take charge of the final is Dutch referee Danny Makkelie.

2022 World Cup quiz: Can you name these 32 players that starred in Qatar?

Makkelie was the man who ultimately awarded Argentina a penalty in the group stages after Poland's Wojciech Szczesny was deemed to have fouled Lionel Messi by putting his hands in the face of the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.

You can check out the full list of referees remaining at the tournament below:

Anthony Taylor (England)

Daniele Orsato (Italy)

Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)

Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

Muhammad Abdulla Hassan Muhammad (UAE)

Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)

Cesar Ramos (Mexico)

Ismail Elfath (USA)

Raphael Claus (Brazil)

Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)

Jesus Valenzuela (Venezuela)

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Who is 2022 World Cup final referee Szymon Marciniak? Meet the Polish official set to take charge of Argentina vs France

The 41-year-old will referee the showpiece event on Sunday in his second World Cup. But who is he? Discover the man who will be in charge.

(2022 Getty Images)

Szymon Marciniak will be the man in the middle on Sunday (18 December) when Paris St-Germain club teammates Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé face each other with their national teams Argentina and France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final .

When the Polish referee steps out to lead the officiating team at Lusail Stadium, it will signify a remarkable comeback to the top of world football refereeing after serious health problems for the 41-year-old.

Who is Szymon Marciniak and what is his refereeing style? What can we expect from him on Sunday? Read on to find out.

Argentina vs France 2022 FIFA World Cup final: Five players who could lead their country to glory in Qatar

Lionel messi vs kylian mbappe: head-to-head history, records and stats, szymon marciniak refereeing style.

Marciniak was born in January 1981, and first took up refereeing when he was sent off playing a game as a youngster.

Speaking to FIFA.com , Marciniak recalls: "We spoke after the game, and (the referee) told me a very important sentence: if you think this is easy work, go and try. You will see. I was thought: why not? So, immediately I went for the course and started refereeing."

After working his way through the ranks, Marciniak took charge of his first Polish Ekstraklasa top-division match in 2009, becoming an international referee two years later.

Now, he will take charge of arguably the biggest game in football. How will he approach handling this World Cup final?

"Both teams have such amazing players, we have to be focused from the first to the very last moment," the Pole says in a video interview with FIFA.

"The players are really very fresh – it's the middle of the season. They want to win, you see the fire in the eyes of the players. I expect a very fast game .

"So concentration, concentration, more concentration – we cannot relax for even one second."

Marciniak's team for the Argentina–France clash will include his long-time assistants Pawel Sokolnick and Tomasz Listkiewicz , while American referee Ismail Elfath will serve as the fourth official.

Another Pole, Tomasz Kwiatkowski , will be the World Cup final Video Assistant Referee.

2022 FIFA World Cup final Argentina vs France: Preview, schedule and stars to watch

How to watch argentina v france 2022 fifa world cup final live, schedule and time, szymon marciniak illness.

That Marciniak will take charge at Lusail Stadium on Sunday is in itself incredible considering that barely a year ago, he was only just making a return to top-level officiating.

The Pole missed a year and a half with tachycardia – an irregular fast heartbeat – and was forced to sit out the delayed UEFA 2020 European Championship, which was held from June to July 2021.

"In the beginning, it was very difficult for me and I had to stop refereeing. I missed the UEFA European Championship, which for a referee, who is at their best age, it was a terrible feeling," Marciniak says.

However, he returned to duty last season in 2021/22 and was even appointed to referee a UEFA Champions League semi-final match between Liverpool and Villarreal.

• FIFA World Cup 2022: France v Argentina - Leading stats of the finalists

Szymon Marciniak referee history

Marciniak first began officiating Polish top-flight matches in 2009 , becoming a FIFA-list international referee in 2011 .

He worked his way through the continental and international ranks, getting his first major appointment in 2015 at the Under-21 European Championship , where he refereed the final between Sweden and Portugal.

The following season, he was named referee for the Polish Cup final before working three matches at the senior UEFA 2016 European Championship .

His first FIFA World Cup was in 2018 , when he took charge of two matches, off the back of which he was named to his first European club final as he oversaw the 2018 UEFA Super Cup derby between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid.

Although he missed EURO 2020, Marciniak is now clearly back at full fitness. He has taken charge of two games so far at Qatar 2022 , having refereed both finalist teams along the way – France's 2–1 win over Denmark and Argentina's victory over Australia by the same margin.

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Fifa announces world cup officials with female refs to feature for first time.

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On Thursday, the FIFA Referees Committee revealed the names of the 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials that've been selected to work the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. For the first time ever, female referees will officiate matches at a men's World Cup.

One of Stéphanie Frappart (France), Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda) or Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan) will make history as the first woman to take charge of a match at the competition. It may well be Frappart, who officiated the 2019 Women's World Cup Final and later became the first female to ref in Ligue 1, the Champions League and a World Cup qualifier.

Mukansanga made history earlier this year as the first woman to referee at the Africa Cup of Nations, and Yamashita became the first to officiate in the AFC Champions League back in April. 

This recognition is thoroughly deserved.

"This concludes a long process that began several years ago with the deployment of female referees at FIFA men's junior and senior tournaments," said Pierluigi Collina, FIFA Referees Committee chairman. "They deserve to be at the World Cup because they constantly perform at a really high level, and that's the important factor for us. As always, the criteria we have used is 'quality first' and the selected match officials represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide."

There are also three female assistant referees: Neuza Back (Brazil), Karen Díaz Medina (Mexico) and Kathryn Nesbitt (USA). Karen was the first woman to officiate a Liga MX final, and Nesbitt became the first woman to referee a championship match in North America when officiating the 2020 MLS Cup.

Further representation from the U.S. is provided by the MLS contingent of Ismail Elfath (ref), Kyle Atkins and Corey Parker (assistant refs) and Armando Villarreal (video). 

World Cup Referees 2022 Qatar (36 Match Officials)

Abdulrahman Al Jassim (Qatar)

Ivan Barton (El Salvador) 

Chris Beath (Australia)

Raphael Claus (Brazil)

Matthew Conger (New Zealand)

Ismail Elfath (USA)

Mario Escobar (Guatemala)

Alireza Faghani (Iran)

Stephanie Frappart (France)

Bakary Gassama (Gambia)

Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)

Victor Gomes (South Africa)

Istvan Kovacs (Romania)

Ning Ma (China)

Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)

Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Said Martinez (Honduras)

Antonio Mateu (Spain)

Andres Matias Matonte Cabrera (Uruguay)

Mohammed Abdulla Mohammed (UAE)

Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda)

Maguette Ndiaye (Senegal)

Michael Oliver (England)

Daniele Orsato (Italy)

Kevin Ortega (Peru)

Cesar Ramos (Mexico)

Fernando Rapallini (Argentina)

Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)

Daniel Siebert (Germany)

Janny Sikazwe (Zambia) — You might remember him from AFCON

Anthony Taylor (England)

Facundo Tello (Argentina)

Clement Turpin (France)

Jesus Valenzuela (Venezuela)

Slavko Vinci (Slovenia)

Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan)

Follow this link for the full list of officials .  

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Law 5 - The Referee

Blog about the man in the middle: appointments, analysis, discussions and much more. You are welcome.

Thursday 8 December 2022

World cup 2022 - referee appointments for quarterfinals (10 december).

Referee appointments for 2022 WC Quarterfinals to be played on 10 December. FIFA has appointed two CONMEBOL crews, handled by Tello and Sampaio respectively. Confederations rule is kept for this set of games. 

62 comments:

There are a lot of referees who deserved a quartfinal more than Sampaio imo

One of the biggest matches at this WC is going to Sampaio. So, i'm not convinced...

Extremely clear the political criterion behind all these appointments, in the end Seneme really monopolized the competition with multiple assignments for Brazilians and Argentines. These four referees from the two South American countries have certainly done very well, but not at the level to justify so many appearance, but, most important, taking away room for other confederations. See AFC and CAF. One wonders until what extent is the gap between both UEFA andCONMEBOL referees and "the rest of the world". For all these names we can't say undeserved assignments but overall they have been "rewarded" too much, not normal. Mohammed appears again as fourth: hopes of getting a game are finally over for him, AFC seems destroyed. Now, looking at the future, even three UEFA nominations are possible in the two semi-finals and the final. In case only one possible CONCACAF entry but I would be prone to think of three UEFA referees. Orsato, one of these, 100%, in a semifinal.

Orsato, Marciniak and Elfath seem like the planned names for the final three matches. If Morocco wins and/or France loses, that would change things.

100% Agree with those 3 names

You can definitely see Seneme overstepped his boundaries in the multiple appointments of South American officials. Tello and Sampaio have had very good World Cups but not to be given a QF onwards appointments. It is truly a shame that the gap between UEFA/CONMEBOL and the rest of the confederations in officiating in widening. Good to see Mohammed Mohamed and Ivan Barton both getting Fourth Official appointments. But a true shame to the AFC being blanked. I would have hoped both Mohamed or Faghani get a QF appointment. As for the last three match appointments - I see Orsato, Marcianiak, and Elfath in whatever combination unless there is some drastic changes or injury.

Political yet predictable as soon as the other two games went to UEFA. I think the media attention on Elfath should not be discounted if the final is France-Brazil. FIFA loves to make themselves look good. There is little way for them to look bad if VAR works as intended. Orsato seems a lock for a SF. I still rate Makkelie above Marciniak for another. Lahoz may not be the favorite but is surely on the short list for the final.

In 2018, CONMEBOL also was overrated. Opening match, 2 QFs, 1 SF, big final, when great Faghani didn't get any SF (only 3place match). If they wanted to give final to Conmebol, the should give a one of big matches (opening or SF) to other confederations... Now, CONMEBOL 3 R16, 2 QF, when UEFA has only 2 R16 and 2 QFs, AFC 0 matches, CAF 0 matches. Conmebol, conmebol, conmebol...

Morocco with Argentinian referees in 3 out of 5 matches, Portugal twice with Tello with only one game in between. Sampaio the first referee to get a 2nd, 3rd and 4th game.

I predicted Makkelie for England-France, but am actually satisfied that he won't be there. He was unconvincing in Argentina's match against Poland.

I don't like the appointment of Tello, Morocco again with Argentine referees??? Oh my gosh, that's so stupid. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it, of course, but this could have been avoided

On a more general speech, we can observe a "centralization" of refereeing at FIFA level involving UEFA and CONMEBOL, both very powerful, with the rest of confederations completely ignored in all cases. Are we moving towards an end of preselections patterns as we knew them? Possible next step with referees only from Europe and South America? I would start to think, it probably won't be, but still, this seems the final solution. On the other hand, CONCACAF survived,even struggling, but they did not reach the levels of CONMEBOL. Final remark about CONMEBOL, internal politics here seem clear as well.. only Brazil and Argentina exist, nothing else.

I think it's pretty sad for referees globally to see just how political the appointments are. In reality, the other confeds didn't stand a chance over UEFA, CONCACAF and more so CONMEBOL from the off!!

Also, Rizzoli's fingers are all over these appointments too with CONCACAF getting some big appointments too. And probably involved in the last 3 matches in some form. I wonder what would have happened if Rizzoli/Seneme actually worked for CAF/AFC how the appointments would pan out!!

Appointment like these are so "disappointing" tbh because it just shows that there is no meritocracy despite what a lot of commenters on this blog like to think. "Oh these refs will handle these matches"; "This ref is definitely on the plan home". Such things clearly only apply to referees from certain confederations---if you want to be even more specific: from certain countries within these select confederations. As Chefrin said it's not that all of the referees from these confederations are poor---a lot of the time they do well but they are overused at the same time. A referee outside the big two confeds needs a near perfect showing and even then it is not guaranteed--see Faghani 2018. But such is the state of refereeing.

Well I thought Sampaio had been good but not so brilliant, and in the end he always seems to be the first appointed everywhere Same for Tello didn't expect him here, did he really shine? Surprised not to see Makkelie indeed

Hard to predict these referees for the second pair of QF. Not happy with the choice of Sampaio, didn't deserve this big appointment imo. Interesting what they'll do with the SFs. I think Marciniak and Orsato are safe choices for the last 3 matches. Other appointments will depend on the results and countries advancing to the semis. Frappart favorite for me to referee the match for 3rd place.

In my opinion Sampaio did very well in all this 3 games, so I expected him to appear. However my thought was the other game and UEFA referee for France-England. It's shocking to see how overrepresented not only CONMEBOL, but actually the referees from Argentina and Brasil. 4 games out of 12 in KO stage went to these two federations. While the whole UEFA referee group got the same amount...(not to mention CAF and AFC treatment...). To make it even worse on the last two matchdays in the groupstage we had 3 appointments to these to countries. So 7 matches of the last 20 games were refereed by 2 associations. That could never happen if one country good nominate only 1 referee team (even though I am fan of selection based on performances). I actually think we won't see Makkelie anymore. Orsato and Marciniak should be 2 names for sure. I wouldn't exclude Turpin as well (depending on the national team QF) and I actually think if Lahoz is doing his best tomorrow, he is a top candidate for the final. Elfath or Barton should do the 3rd place game.

That's quite unfair. As a Brazilian, I looked closely over Claus' and Sampaio's season and Claus did better games. The performance on WC shouldn't be enough to rule out Claus (all other major Conembol refs got at least a R16 match), and certainly shouldn't be enough to allow Sampaio to get what's arguably the biggest clash in this WC so far. Sad choice from Collina

If Brazil don't make it past QFs, Claus should definitely have a SF game. That would well deserved.

Claus has to get back to the North Pole - he has a lot to do at this time of year.

Everything has been said before - quite astonishing how much clout Seneme has in this tournament. I may say not in a good way either!!

Today's designations are disgusting

One could at least have avoided that an Englishman handles Brazil whereas a Brazilian handles England by swapping Sampaio and Tello.

Of course. I understand the names, don't quite get why Sampaio doesn't have MOR-POR.

ARGBRA Orsato FRAPOR Elfath Final Marciniak

Impossible game for Elfath. Even if they stand behind the penalty AND disregard the possible media, it would be directly after POR eliminated his home country.

Nah, its possible, stupid argument

I want Mikael's opinion of this haha, preferably a rant! (That I would 100% agree btw) I love his non-bullshit explainations,

Hahahaha, thx :) but no rant this time! Everything was incredibly clear to me after the first four appmnts at this WC - nobody seemed to realise the huggeee political significance of not only the opening game, but the opening game(s) internally for FIFA over the years. I tried hard to point it out but most comments seemed unconvinced! That two Brazilians appeared on Day2 signposted everything. I fully expected Sampaio and Tello to be appointed to these QFs, tbh (though more in the contrary order). I don't find them especially bad appmnts either, especially if this is the 'price' to pay for the by-far three best refs controlling the SF and final games (a Mateu who has succeeded in NEDARG; Orsato and Marciniak) - then they are even very good designations for me. Though, if you were looking for a rant... then I have sth to say about AFC. They 100% deserve this wipeout and I feel no sympathy for them whatsoever. By just training their referees to be *good* in the WC2010 cycle, they created one very good and two EXCELLENT referees whom were absolute stars in South Africa (both Nishimura and Irmatov were absolutely fantastic, at the very TOP, I can't underline that enough). However, they since lost the plot, and trained their referees to be as lenient as possible and basically quite deliberately destroyed them all. The level of refereeing at AFC tournaments is absolutely horrible nowadays... What a surprise that such a sh*t development plan yields completely sh*t results: all their refs were mediocre, besides (imperfect but still) brilliant Faghani of course, but the hapless 29yo Al-Marri managed to help shoot (not only) him down too... :/

CAF, has always been underrated in the international stages, probably there will come day where world will habe no referees from CAF. Having observed this disgusting appointment , I am now almost sure that the last three games will be Marciniak, Orsato and Final Lahoz

I really dont know why all of you speaking about Seneme, look, I dont know, but, if he have so much authority, as someone mention here, there is always somebody who can tell him-NO, like Collina or Bussaca. So, appoitments like these are not possible without them two.

Another interesting observation is that so far the confederations rule has been broken only in favor of UEFA referees to be appointed. This has not happened for other confederations (unless Frappart AR Diaz Medina with Costa Rica, but this was an extra-ordinary case, as said). So, UEFA referees are the most required for big games, and not even CONMEBOL, at least so far, reached this level (but surely they can't complain about that..).

And that's even true for the VAR, AVAR and OVAR role.

Rapallini on Serbia-Switzerland and Sampaio on France-England break what I perceive as neutrality given the standard operating procedure has been for a UEFA referee to do all-UEFA clashes. Putting a CONMEBOL there is the exception that proves the rule (like with Cunha and Ricci in 2018), because the vast majority of these matches go, by default, to a UEFA referee.

But then also Valenzuela on FRA-POL and Ramos on POR-SUI. So actually the first four UEFA-UEFA games in this WC were refereed by UEFA, the next four weren't. Ramos was actually the first referee not from UEFA or CONMEBOL for a game between two European teams since Archundia in 2006 (CZE-ITA, SUI-UKR and GER-ITA), if we exclude 3rd place games. So that didn't happen for three tournaments. BTW, Guezzaz (MAR) had ESP-SVN in 2002, Jouini (TUN) had ROU-SUI in 1994 and Bujsaim (UAE) had BUL-GRE in 1994 as previous examples from the rest of the world.

Thats why I would not be surprised seeing Ramos in the final.

This comment has been removed by the author.

I am not surprised by this appointments... We can see another political decisions... One point: I don't think that Claus was weaker than Sampaio, Tello or Rappalini...

Why not Sampaio? He is an excellent referee like others. Oh I know. He is from CONMEBOL and Europeans like to see star referees from Europe in their games. All clear. Oh please, let's stop this whining. When European referees blew the whistle too much in Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018 (e.g.: Rizzoli, Webb, Brych, Kuipers, Mazic) I didn't see any negative comments. But of course, FIFA, like every organization, is political, thanks God for that, and it's important that we see some rotation in refereeing. It is important to democratize the management of big matches, give space to other names on the world stage, and test other alternatives whenever possible. Football must be global and democratic (keep this in your minds). I really wish this Blog was like that too, that there was room for contradictions, but these "administrator" attacks messages that go against the status quo established by him. There are so many messages that should also be deleted for being rude and impertinent, but he does nothing because he is complacent, after all what is the criteria (to say the truth or any bullshit just to be friendly)? Come on, have a minimum sense of equity please! Lets do this blog big, an environment with all opinions, of all sides the world, even doesnt been aligned with yours.

I am just saying that Claus was way better and if they were picking ref from Brazil,then Claus should have gotten a chance... And the thruth that Europeans are the beat refs in the world, so why shouldnt they be in contention to get every match in WC?

The rotation is that if not UEFA it’s CONMEBOL? Are those the only two confederations? I think it’s laughs to complain about UEFA when CONMEBOL is always the next best thing. So FIFA isn’t UEFA, clearly it’s FIFA= 2xUEFA + CONMEBOL

Sampaio vivencia um ótimo momento na sua trajetória como árbitro. Iván Barton, 31 anos fez ótimos jogos. Orsato é um nome expressivo. Makellie está bem. Oliver e Taylor são excelentes. Está sobrando árbitro de qualidade. Basta escalar Valdir Bicudo

English, please.

Many are surprised that Morocco are again with an Argentine referee. But they forget that Spain "should have been" in that place. The idea is that the English referee is with Brazil, the Brazilian with England, the Spanish with Argentina and the Argentine with Spain. Seems like "insurance", with the possibility of using referees from non-neutral countries.

Why English paired with Brazilian, and Spanish with Argentinian, not Spanish with Brazilian, and English with Argentinian?

political reasons

After all the surprises we had I dont think the upcoming appointments are as logical as one may think. Sampaio is on Game 4 while Orsato, Marciniak remain on 2. The only appointment looking certain is Orsato for a potential BRA-ARG. But also strange that he will have 2,5 weeks break and will finish on 3 games. I am not that sure if Marciniak will be appointed at all, but if, surely for semi-final 2. With CONMEBOL and UEFA getting 2 quarter finals each, it should be pretty save CONCACAF (actually treated very good so far) will get a very big game. FRA/ENG vs POR may go to Ramos who has been quite strong so far (Elfath should be out with his controversial POR GS game), if MOR advance its more likely Elfath. The 3rd place game could literally go to anybody. Frappart, Marciniak, Oliver, Elfath, Ramos, even Claus. I dont think confideration rule plays any part here. And for the final all we know is that we know nothing. Logically thinking Lahoz with a good quarter-final performance should have the best chances but it is likely the assignement will be highly political. Elfath as a diversity choice with likeable body language and from the 2026 hosts looks possible (if not gotten a semi). The Turpin conspiracy theory also looks somewhat realistic if ENG beat FRA. In a scenario like final FRA-BRA, and a bad Lahoz Last 8 performance, Orsato may also comeback into the picture with a weird SF and F overappointment. The Orsato scenario looks likely to me if we get some controversy in one of the next matches and FIFA are scared and just wanted the best guy.

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

The political handling of Cáceres and Seneme in this World Cup for CONMEBOL has been impeccable. They secured one more leadership position within the Committee, secured 3 round of 16 games (along with CONCACAF, the ones that had the most), and swiped half of the Quarterfinals. Difficult to picture this at the beginning of the tournament.

IMO the assignment of Sampaio is well deserved. But for FRA-ENG Orsato or Marciniak would have been the logical choice for me. For the HFs I would go with Marciniak (FRA/ENG-POR/MOR) and Orsato (NED/ARG-BRA/KRO), Then Ramos for the final and, yes, Mohammed or Gomes for 3rd place. Just to wipe away the political decisions from before. Elfath should be out, just because his technical skills are not good enough. That risk is even too high for those who would've liked to make the USAmericans happy.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea that Victor Gomes is not seen as a bigwig at this World Cup. To be honest, it's even embarrassing. He did CAF Champions League final and Africa Cup of Nations final brilliantly. CAF hasn't had such a tried-and-tested match official in decades and Collina appoints him as FO in QFs. If he really wants to make this WC a real WORLD Cup, he has at least one super reliable option for SFs or the championship match outside of UEFA or CONMEBOL - Victor Gomes. He's not below any of the refs from UEFA or CONMEBOL. There's also Mohammed available from AFC in a WC held in Asia. He's done very well so far too.

Conclusions It is one political puppet show, but we already knew that. I stick with Turpin for the final if France does not make it, cause it's obvious that he is pre-arranged, carried through the ranks without any hot games or 'headline' games. UEFA did everything to protect him and his VAR Brisard in 2022. I will still hope for Mateu Lahoz though. Advise to all of you. The UCL final 2023 referee has already been decided internally before the knock-outs are played. Just look who gets the LEAST risky matches in R16 and QF (no PSG, just teams focused on playing football, and no return legs between two top teams) and you know enough.

Elfath in a semi final is almost impossible. He whistled the soft Ronaldo penalty and is a Moroccan. Unless Netherlands knocks out Argentina, he could work on sth like Netherlands-Brazil in the upper bracket. They won’t give him ARG-BRA as Argentina just wants Europeans.

Argument with the soft penalty is not valid: If FIFA would have a problem with this decision, Elfat already would be sent home. If Morocco leaves the tournament, I think we will see Elfath once again: at least in the third place match.

May sampaio referee the final if Brazil eliminated today

He 'just' did the CONMEBOL supercup... That is why I hate seeing him on the biggest QF match, after a weak performance in group stage and two snooze fests. And his country in a good position to win the WC(!). This has NOTHING to do with quality, merit or neutrality. Thank you Seneme.

After QF appointments who will referee the final ?

Turpin, Lahoz, Elfath, Ramos, Marciniak. Theese five have real chance. Orsato and Makkelie are impossible, it would be shocking to get final directly after two group stage games and no matches in play-off.

One more point: If Marciniak would get the final, it would be his third game on the tournament. It would be unusual, final referee typically have at least 3 games before the final nomination. So I would be not surprised if we will see Marciniak and Orsato in SF.

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World Cup Final Referees: Full List of Refs From Every Tournament

Being appointed as the referee for the World Cup final is a huge achievement. For most officials who find themselves in this position, they'll look back on the game as the pinnacle of their career, a testament to the fact that they got to the top of their profession, just like the illustrious athletes that surround them (and typically grab all the headlines). Getting the call up doesn't just show that they've officiated well throughout the rest of that tournament; it's also a much wider reflection of their abilities as an official.

In this article, we'll be explaining how soccer referees get to the point of being chosen for a FIFA World Cup Final, arguably the most high-profile match in global football. We'll briefly explain the process of getting to the World Cup Finals as a referee and look at what World Cup referee assignments typically entail, before taking you through a list of all the refs who have plied their trade in this prestigious soccer match over the years.

How Many World Cup Referees Are There For Each Tournament? 

The FIFA World Cup takes place every four years in a different host nation, which means that opportunities for referees to demonstrate their skills on the biggest stage are pretty rare. However, in recent years, the number of referees flown out to officiate at each World Cup has increased; for Qatar 2022, there were a total of 36 referees chosen for the competition. This was the same number of refs used at France 2018, but before then the number of referees was lower (in 2010 and 2014, 25 referees were used instead of 36).

On top of these lead officials are a number of assistants; for Qatar, 69 assistant referees and 24 video assistant referees were also appointed, creating the largest team of officials ever seen at a top global soccer tournament. But how exactly does FIFA (football's world governing body) choose which officials will make it to the final tournament? 

How Are FIFA World Cup Referees Appointed?

Just like the lengthy qualification period that each national team has to go through to make it to the World Cup, the process for choosing referees is also exhaustive.

Typically it starts 2-3 years before a tournament, when national football associations and federations nominate their top referees for FIFA consideration.

To ensure balance and representation, FIFA then bases its choices on regional quotas, selecting a certain number of referees from each continent who have consistently performed well in domestic and European competitions. A shortlist will be created, before a 16-person committee (aided by medical experts) will select the final list of refs for the tournament.

The journey isn't over here, though; a number of fitness tests, technical assessments and performance reviews will continue to take place in the build-up to the tournament to ensure that every referee enters the World Cup Finals at the top of their game. 

World Cup Final Referee 2022: Who Was The Most Recent WC Final Official?

Qatar 2022 was a tournament shrouded in controversy at times, but the football itself was staggeringly good. The final between Argentina and France — which ended 3-3 before being clinched by Argentina on penalties — was labelled by many as the greatest World Cup final in history.

The man in black for that particular game was Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, the first ever Polishman to preside over a World Cup final. Over the years, officials from a total of 33 different nations have been selected to handle the World Cup final in some capacity (including assistant referees). Below, you'll find a list of every single lead ref to have been selected.

World Cup Final Referees: The Full List

Being chosen as the referee for World Cup Finals matches at any stage of the tournament is a huge achievement, but to be selected to take charge of the deciding match of the competition is rightly seen as a huge honour by officials across the world. Below, we'll take you through a list of each World Cup final referee since the tournament was first established back in 1930.

Szymon Marciniak (2022)

Marciniak was the latest in a long line of distinguished officials to have presided over the most prestigious game in the whole of world football. His pedigree is undeniable; as well as reffing the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final, the UEFA Super Cup Final, and the 2023 Champions League Final, Marciniak has also been named 'The World's Best Referee' by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) for the last two years. 

Nestor Pistana (2018)

The 2018 World Cup was a huge disappointment for Argentina, whose hopes of victory were dashed in the quarter finals by Kylian Mbappe's rampant France side. However, the Argentines were at least represented in some capacity in the final, with well-regarded referee Nestor Pistana presiding over the game between France and Croatia, aided by his two Argentine assistant referees Hernan Maidana and Juan Pablo Belatti.

Nicola Rizzoli (2014)

The 2014 World Cup final between Germany and Argentina — won by a single Mario Gotze goal in extra time — was refereed by Italian official Nicola Rizzoli, a Serie A stalwart who worked in the top flight of Italian football from 2002 to 2017, winning a remarkable seven consecutive Serie A Referee of the Year Awards before his retirement.

Howard Webb (2010)

In the summer of 2010, Webb had his work cut out in one of the most dramatic — and certainly the  most aggressive — World Cup finals in modern history. The South Africa final saw Spain's celebrated tiki-taka side (flooded with talents like Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets) sucked into a physical battle with the Netherlands that saw Webb hand out 14 yellow cards (which doubled the previous record of six yellow cards for this fixture, set in 1986). The fact that Dutch legend Johan Cruyff described his team's style as 'anti-football' tells you everything you need to know about this game.

Horacio Elizondo (2006)

World Cup referee assignments are not easy to come by, particularly in the tournament final, but Argentina have produced multiple officials capable of taking on this role. The 2006 final in Germany was presided over by Horacio Elizondo, a decorated ref who retired soon after the game, having achieved all his sporting goals. 

Pierluigi Collina (2002)

Regarded by many as the greatest referee in the history of the game, Collina was a striking, at times fearsome figure who collected IFFHS' Referee of the Year Award on a record six consecutive occasions between 1998 and 2003. Thus, he was a shoo-in for the 2002 World Cup Final between Germany and Brazil.

Said Belqola (1998)

The first ever African official to be selected for a World Cup Final (and the only to date), Said Belqola was a Moroccan ref who worked at multiple international tournaments before being chosen for the now-iconic 1998 Final between France and Brazil (a Zidane-inspired France ran out 3-0 winners).

Sandor Phul (1994)

Hungarian ref Sandor Phul was regularly selected for UEFA Champions League matches during the 1990s (taking charge of the 1997 UCL final between Borussia Dortmund and Juventus). But the peak of his career came in 1994, when he was selected for the World Cup final, hosted in the USA.

Edgardo Codesal Mendez (1990)

The 1990 World Cup in Italy has a special place in the hearts of many English fans, who were inspired by the performances of Paul Gasgoine and co.; but it was West Germany and Argentina who reached the final and experienced the disciplinary skills of Mexican ref Edgardo Codesal Mendez.

Romualdo Arrpi Filho (1986)

The Brazilian ref only took charge of three matches at the 1986 World Cup, but one of them was the World Cup final between Argentina and West Germany, which saw Diego Maradona lead his side to victory.

Arnaldo Cezar Coelho (1982)

Another Brazilian official was in the thick of it for the 1982 WC final between Italy and West Germany. Arnaldo Cezar Coelho made history this year, becoming the first non-European to referee a World Cup final.

Sergio Gonella (1978)

The first Italian referee to take charge of a World Cup final (in 1978), Gonella is one of only two people to have ruled over the final of both the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship.

Jack Taylor (1974)

In 1974, the famous Netherlands side led by Johan Cruyff and his 'Total Football' philosophy were beaten dramatically in the World Cup final by West Germany. The man in charge of the match was Jack Taylor, regarded by many as the greatest English referee of all time.

Rudi Glockner (1970)

German ref Rudi Glöckner took charge of the 1970 World Cup final, where Brazil legend Pele made history by winning his third World Cup as a player, triumphing over Italy on the day.

Gottfried Dienst (1966)

1966 is the year England won their only ever major trophy to date, a continuing source of anguish in football's country of origin. The referee in charge of that famous final against West Germany was Swiss official Gottfried Dienst.

Nikolay Latyshev (1962)

Hailing from the Soveit Union, Nikolay Latyshev took charge of the 1962 WC Final between Brazil and Czechoslovakia.

Maurice Guige (1958)

The final of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden (known as the tournament where Pele burst onto the scene) was ruled over by Frenchman Maurice Guigue.

William Ling (1954)

The first Englishman to referee a World Cup final, Ling officiated the 1954 final, which saw the famed Hungary side of Ferenc Puskas beaten controversially by West Germany.

George Capdeville (1938)

Capdeville was a Frenchman who refereed the 1938 final between Italy and Hungary. The match took place in Paris, making him the only person to referee a WC Final in his home country.

Ivan Eklind (1934)

Aged just 28, Swedish ref Ivan Eklind took charge of the 1934 final between Italy and Czechoslovakia in Rome — he remains the youngest ever World Cup final referee.

WORLD CUP 2022

Who is the referee for the Argentina vs Croatia semi-final game in World Cup 2022?

An experienced italian ref will officiate the 2022 world cup semi-final between argentina and croatia, which kicks off on tuesday 13 december at 2 p.m. et..

Daniele Orsato was the man in the middle for the opening World Cup game between hosts Qatar and Ecuador (which the hosts lost 2-0) and the experienced Italian will now be the referee in charge of the World Cup semi-final between Argentina and Croatia on Tuesday.

This is not his his first game in charge of Argentina at this World Cup, as he officiated La Albiceleste’s 2-0 group stage win over Mexico. The 47-year-old ref didn’t feature in the Round of 16 or quarter-finals but has been called up for the first semi-final of the 2022 World Cup.

• Follow all the action and reaction to Argentina vs Croatia live

Who is referee Orsato?

Orsato is one of the most experienced referees in European football. His experience should let the game flow as both sides look to advance to the final on Sunday 18 December.

The 47-year-old was born in Montecchio Maggiore, in the province of Vicenza, Italy, and has been a UEFA referee since 2010. Before becoming a referee, he was a coach.

Orsato has only ever taken charge of one Argentina game, their 2-0 win over Mexico earlier in the 2022 tournament. He has been involved in three Croatia matches, including two wins for Modric and co. and a 1-0 defeat to England at the 2020 European Championships.

For the 2020 Champions League final between PSG and Bayern Munich, Orsato was in charge of the match that ended in a narrow victory for the German team. He was also voted the best referee of 2020 by the IFFHS.

Officials for Argentina vs. Croatia: 🇦🇷 Referee: Daniele Orsato 🇮🇹 1st assistant: Ciro Carbone 🇮🇹 2nd assistant: Alessandro Giallatini 🇮🇹 4th official: M Mohammed 🇦🇪 5th official: M Alhammadi 🇦🇪 Via @ArbitroInteBlog . — Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) December 11, 2022

Orsato’s 2022 World Cup stats

In the World Cup opener between Qatar and Ecuador, a match that ended in a 2-0 win for the South American side, he showed two yellow cards to the Ecuadorians, gave a penalty in Ecuador’s favour, and produced four yellow cards against the Qatari team.

In the group stage match between Argentina and Mexico, which ended in victory for Argentina, Orsato showed only one yellow card to Argentina and four to Mexico.

• Argentina vs Croatia: everything you need to know
• Argentina vs Croatia: how to watch

Referees criticised during World Cup

Several referees at the Qatar World Cup have come in for serious criticism, which will only increase the pressure on Orsato heading into one of the biggest games of his career.

Spanish referee Antonio Lahoz was among those who were criticised during the quarter-finals. Lahoz is now set to leave Qatar after criticism from Lionel Messi and Frenkie de Jong after Argentina beat the Netherlands on penalties to advance to the semi-finals.

Messi stated that Lahoz should not be allowed to officiate in a game as important as the one he played in.

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ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022/23

T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final: Umpires and match referees for IND vs ENG & NZ vs PAK

England , India , New Zealand and Pakistan have qualified for the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022: here are the the umpires and match referees who will officiate the two knockout games – New Zealand v Pakistan and India v England.

The dramatic last day of the Super 12 began with the Netherlands inflicting a 15-run defeat on South Africa, reducing Pakistan v Bangladesh to a virtual quarter-final. Pakistan won comfortably, as did India later in the day, against Zimbabwe, to clinch second spot in Group 2. India will now play England in Adelaide, whose last-day win helped them pip Australia in Group 1. Before that, Pakistan will face Group 1 toppers New Zealand in Sydney.

The semi-finals will feature four officials from England – Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Michael Gough, and Chris Broad. All of them have been assigned to the match between New Zealand and Pakistan, along with the South African, Marais Erasmus. The India-England clash will be officiated by Kumar Dharmasena of Sri Lanka, Chris Gaffaney of New Zealand, and the local troika of Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, and David Boon.

Both matches will be played under lights, and will begin at 1.30 PM IST (8 AM GMT).

T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final officials: Umpires and match referees

New Zealand v Pakistan, 9 November, Sydney Cricket Ground: Marais Erasmus (on-field umpire, South Africa), Richard Illingworth (on-field umpire, England), Richard Kettleborough (television umpire, England), Michael Gough (fourth umpire, England), Chris Broad (match referee, England).

India v England, 10 November, Adelaide Oval: Kumar Dharmasena (on-field umpire, Sri Lanka), Paul Reiffel (on-field umpire, Australia), Chris Gaffaney (television umpire, New Zealand), Rod Tucker (fourth umpire, Australia), David Boon (match referee, Australia).

Bet365 will be Live Streaming all of the T20 World Cup matches direct to your iPhone, iPad or Android device, as well as desktop. This means that every T20 World Cup fixture will be available to bet365 customers wherever they are in the world.

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Sri Lanka in England (M) 2024

South africa in west indies (m) 2024, india in sri lanka (m) 2024, bangladesh in pakistan (m) 2024, west indies in england (m) 2024.

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Who is Szymon Marciniak, the Argentina vs France World Cup 2022 referee?

Marciniak was assisted by Pawel Sokolnick and Tomasz Listkiewicz, the latter of whom's father was the linesman at the 1990 final

Polish referee Szymon Marciniak took charge of France vs Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final after being picked by Fifa referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina.

Telegraph Sport reported earlier this month that the 41-year-old was the favourite and he was this week selected ahead of Mexican César Ramos, who took charge of the semi-final between Morocco and France. Another contender, American Ismael Elfath, was ineligible for that game because of his Moroccan heritage – the Major League Soccer referee moved from Morocco to the US at 18.

Marciniak had previously taken charge of France against Denmark and Argentina’s round of 16 tie with Australia in Qatar. He missed Euro 2020 after doctors diagnosed him with tachycardia, a condition where the heart beats abnormally fast. He is a regular Champions and Europa League referee and was also one of the officials in the Fifa Arab Cup test event in Qatar one year earlier.

Speaking to Fifa in-house media, Marciniak said: “I had a difficult time one and half year ago with tachycardia. In the beginning it was very difficult for me. I had to stop. I missed the European championships which for a referee at their peak age was a terrible feeling.

“Sometimes I think life takes something from us to give you back double happiness and I can say I’m a great example of this. Only me and my team know how difficult this was. [As for the game] there are so many big stars, anything can happen so concentration, concentration and more concentration. There can be no relaxing for one second.”

Marciniak’s two assistants are Pawel Sokolnick and Tomasz Listkiewicz and for the latter it is the continuation of a family tradition. Listkiewicz’s father Michael was the linesman for the 1990 World Cup final between Argentina and West Germany in Rome in the days of mixed nationality teams of officials. He has since served as president of the Polish football association.

How many referees have been working at Qatar 2002?

Referees come from 29 different countries – 36 in total – have taken charge at the World Cup .

Which country has had the most referees at the World Cup?

Of the different nations represented; four countries have had two: France, Brazil, Argentina and England.

So how many English referees have been at the World Cup?

Two Englishmen – Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor – have been working in Qatar.

Did Wales have a referee at the World Cup?

Who is the most famous referee at the world cup.

The most familiar names to England eyes might be the Premier League pair of Oliver and Taylor, but Champions League viewers will recognise Slavko Vincic of Slovenia, Antonio Mateu of Spain and Clément Turpin of France.

Any local men in black (or other Fifa-mandated shirt colour?)

All hail Abdulrahman Al-Jassim, who became the first Qatari referee in World Cup history when the 35-year-old officiated the USA vs Wales group game. He also took charge of the third-place play-off between Croatia and Morocco.

Who have refereed at the Qatar World Cup 2022?

Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)

Iván Barton (El Salvador)

Chris Beath (Australia)

Raphael Claus (Brazil)

Matthew Conger (New Zealand)

Ismail Elfath (United States)

Mario Escobar (Guatemala)

Alireza Faghani (Iran)

Stéphanie Frappart (France)

Bakary Gassama (Gambia)

Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)

Victor Gomes (South Africa)

Istvan Kovacs (Romania)

Ning Ma (China)

Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)

Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Antonio Mateu (Spain)

Andrés Matonte (Uruguay)

Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (UAE)

Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda)

Maguette Ndiaye (Senegal)

Michael Oliver (England)

Daniele Orsato (Italy)

Kevin Ortega (Peru)

César Ramos (Mexico)

Fernando Rapallini (Argentina)

Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)

Daniel Siebert (Germany)

Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)

Anthony Taylor (England)

Facundo Tello (Argentina)

Clément Turpin (France)

Jesús Valenzuela (Venezuela)

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Semi-Finals set at the Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024

Find the pairings and schedule for the Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024 Semi-Finals here.

LILLE (France) - The pairings and schedule for the Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024 Semi-Finals are now confirmed following the successful conclusion of the Quarter-Finals in Paris, France.

Semi-Finals

The Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024 Semi-Finals will all take place on Thursday, August 8.

GER v FRA - 17:30 Local Time (15:30 GMT)

After knocking off Greece in the Quarter-Finals, Germany find themselves in unchartered waters with the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 champions playing in the Olympic Semi-Finals for the first time ever. The hosts France meanwhile defeated Canada in the Quarter-Finals and have reached the last four in back-to-back Olympics, taking home the silver in 2021.

When these two teams face off for a spot in the Gold Medal Game, the Semi-Final will be just six days after Germany rolled to an 85-71 victory in the teams' final game of the group stage, leading by as many as 24 points. That improved Germany's all-time record against France to 9-13 though they have won four of the last five games.

SRB v USA - 21:00 Local Time (19:00 GMT)

Serbia rallied past Australia in overtime to reach the Semi-Finals for the second time in two Olympic appearances under their current flag - snatching silver in 2016. Their opponents in the last four are 16-time gold medalists and winners of the last four Olympics United States, who rolled by Brazil in the Quarter-Finals.

These teams started their 2024 Olympics against each other and USA won 110-84. They also have rich history in major recent competitions, USA winning the Final of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 by a score of 129-92 and twice winning in the Men's Basketball Tournament Rio 2016 - including the Final 96-66. Serbia's sole win against USA came in the Classification 5-8 Game at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.

The complete Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024 final phrase bracket is here .

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Latest international assignments for PRO officials [Updated 08/07]

Details of upcoming international tournament assignments for PRO’s officials:

2024 Olympic Games

Women’s Game 25 (Bronze medal match) – Spain vs Germany (08/09/24) 4TH: Tori Penso RAR: Brooke Mayo

PRO officials will be working at Copa América (June and July), the Olympic Games (July and August) and FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup (August and September) this summer.

Congratulations and best wishes to: Lyes Arfa , Kyle Atkins , Micheal Barwegen ,  Ismail Elfath , Drew Fischer , Brooke Mayo , Meghan Mullen ,  Kathryn Nesbitt , Tori Penso , Corey Parker , Natalie Simon, Kali Smith , and  Armando Villarreal , who will be officiating across the various tournaments.

Please bookmark this page for details of their assignments as they are announced.

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Match officials confirmed for Olympic Football Tournament semi-finals

Match officials named for men’s and women’s semi-finals

First up is Morocco v Spain

Officials from all six confederations will referee at the Olympic Football Tournaments and the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024™

Match officials have been confirmed for the men’s and women’s Olympic Football tournament semi-finals as eight teams push for a place in the final. The Stade de Marseille hosts Monday’s first semi-final of the day with Morocco and Spain facing one another.

The match kicks off at 6pm (CET) with Uzbekistan's Ilgiz Tantashev on referee duties and assisted by countrymen Andrey Tsapenko and Timur Gaynullin. Glenn Nyberg of Sweden will act as fourth official. Next up is France v Egypt in the Stade de Lyon (9pm CET). Saíd Martinez will take charge of that match with fellow Hondurans Walter López and Christian Ramírez assisting. Canadian Drew Fischer will be fourth official. The women’s semi-finals take place on Tuesday with USA v Germany the first game of the evening. That kicks off at 6pm (CET) in the Stade de Lyon with Morocco's Bouchra Karboubi leading a team of officials that comprises compatriot Fatiha Jermoumi and Zambia's Diana Chikotesha as assistants and Korea Republic's Kim Yujeong as fourth official.

The final semi-final is in the Stade de Marseille at 9pm (CET) with Brazil and Spain facing one another. Rebecca Welsh will referee with fellow Briton Emily Carney and Franca Overtoom of the Netherlands as her assistants. Japan's Makoto Bozono will be on fourth official duties.

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Wrestler Aman Sehrawat enters Paris Olympics semifinals

About the Author

The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide. From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more. The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics. We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects. We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock. Read More

Visual Stories

Young Indian grappler Aman Sehrawat rekindled India's hopes of a medal in wrestling, demolishing former world champion Zelimkhan Abakarov of Albania by technical superiority to seal a place in the 57kg free-style semifinal at the Paris Olympics here on Thursday. Aman was in imperious form as he toyed with Abakarov in the second round. The 21-year-old India locked his legs at the start of the second round and turned him over multiple times to earn eight straight points to secure a 12-0 victory.

The bout started with Aman earing a passivity point after his Russian-turned-Albanian opponent did not initiate any attacking move.

Moments later, the Indian effected a left-leg hold to earn two more points to showcase his dominance by going 3-0 up at the end of round 1.

Aman was on song in round 2 and Abakarov, world champion in 2022, bore the brunt. The Indian's superb agility against the 31-year-old Albanian was on display as he attacked the left leg to bring him down.

He then effected a 'fitley' (leg lace), turning the Albanian around several times to end the contest with more than two minutes to go.

Abakarov contested the last two points awarded to Aman but the referee ruled in favour of the Indian and awarded him a point.

Aman will meet Japanese top seed Rei Higuchi in the last-four.

Earlier, Aman ensured himself an easy passage into the quarterfinal with a dominating performance against North Macedonian rival Vladimir Egorov.

The 21-year-old Indian, an Asian Championship gold medallist and the only male wrestler from the country to qualify for the Olympics, was amazingly agile as he kept his defence intact while regularly overpowering his 29-year-old former European champion with leg holds to win the bout on technical superiority (10-0).

Egorov seemed to be in a bit of bother after the first round, requiring medical attention on his knee following Aman's all-out attack.

But the Macedonian could not stage a comeback with Aman effecting a takedown to earn two more points and go 10-0 up with more than two minutes remaining on the clock.

Anshu Malik loses

Woman grappler Anshu Malik displayed great determination but could not breach the defence of USA's vastly experienced Helen Louise Maroulis, losing 2-7 in the 57kg pre-quarterfinals.

It was a rematch of the 2021 World Championship final in Oslo where Anshu had to settle for silver against the American.

Anshu's hopes of qualifying for the bronze-medal bout now hinge on 'repechage' provided Helen, the 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist and Tokyo Games bronze medallist, reaches the final.

Anshu was up against one of the most reputed wrestlers in the world, but she fought with a lot of gumption to concede just two points in the first round. Helen attacked Anshu's left leg and then pushed the Indian to the mat to take a 2-0 lead.

The Indian then held Helen, a three-time world champion, at bay in the first round before the American came back to showcase her pedigree in the second and win despite getting a warning. 

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USA women’s basketball highlights: Americans beat Nigeria to reach Olympic semifinal

PARIS — The U.S. women's basketball team defeated Nigeria, 88-74, to advance to the semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics . A'ja Wilson led the U.S. in scoring with 20 points. Jackie Young added 15, Breanna Stewart put up 13 and Brittney Griner scored 11.

The Americans shot 54% from the field (26% from 3), and had the edge on the boards, 44-28. They will face Australia in the semifinal on Aug. 9 for a spot in the gold medal game on Aug. 11 as they chase their eighth straight gold medal.

Here are highlights from the USA’s win. 

USA vs. Nigeria highlights

A'Ja dishes to Stewie for three. 🎯 LeBron approves. 📺 USA Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yI8kbWNUps — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024

Kah checking in & knocking it down. 📺 USA Network + Peacock 🇺🇸 #USABWNT #Paris2024 #Basketball pic.twitter.com/jiglGcxned — USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 7, 2024

BG cleaning up on the glass. 📺 USA Network + Peacock 🇺🇸 #USABWNT #Paris2024 #Basketball pic.twitter.com/mPgcwW5mor — USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 7, 2024

That dish from @Kelseyplum10 🤌 📺: @NBCOlympics & @peacock #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/C6wJyMqh3L — Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 7, 2024

Dealing ‘em. KP dishes to A’ja for the bucket. 📺 USA Network + Peacock 🇺🇸 #USABWNT #Paris2024 #Basketball pic.twitter.com/v4mZMcscVf — USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 7, 2024

USA vs Nigeria score after 3Q

The U.S. is rolling with a 76-48 lead through three quarters. Four players have scored nine points or more, led by Jackie Young’s 15. And every player has scored at least one point, and the Americans are shooting 60% from the field. It’s safe to say Australia is counting on playing the U.S. at this point.

USA vs Nigeria score at halftime

Real talk: This game is kind of boring. That’s not anyone’s fault, really — it’s more a testament to how hard Nigeria is making everything for the Americans, who led 52-33 at the break. The game was closer than the score indicates for most of that half. The U.S. closed the half on a 14-4 run over the last 4:44. The halftime talk is no doubt about how the U.S. needs to come out ready to kill in the third quarter.

Brenna Stewart leads the U.S. with 13 points and A’ja Wilson has 10. The U.S. is shooting 59% from the field but there’s no question that coach Cheryl Reeve, who prides herself on being defense first, is not thrilled about Nigeria shooting 40%.

USA 26, Nigeria 17, end of 1Q

The U.S. women looked a little meh to start the knockout rounds. Nigeria is clearly unafraid of the U.S. dynasty, and has gone right at Team USA from tip. They have no answer for Breanna Stewart (does anyone?) but it’s clear they’re not going to back down.

Jackie Young, who started the game because of defense, had two nice bucks early and already has five points. Stewart has seven. And Diana Taurasi came off the bench after starting three games and hit a 3 that gave the U.S. a little separation.

Nigeria women's basketball coach

Rena Wakama is the head coach for the Nigeria women's basketball team. She is an assistant coach for the Tulane women's basketball team.

Chelsea Gray with a pair of dimes early

Chelsea Gray showed off her superb passing skills early against Nigeria, hitting a cutting Breanna Stewart for the Americans' second bucket of the game and finding Stewart again cross-court for a 3.

Katie Ledecky, LeBron James courtside for USA vs. Nigeria

Judging by who showed up for the U.S. women's first game in Paris, there's plenty of interest in this team. 

LeBron James and wife Savannah are here, sitting in the front row, as are fellow men's team members Devin Booker and Bam Adebayo. Katie Ladecky, who last week tied Larisa Latynina for most gold medals (nine) by a female Olympian, is also here, and got a big hug from James when he arrived. Michael Phelps, the most-decorated Olympian of all time, is with his family and four-time Olympic gold medal swimmer Allison Schmitt. 

NBA Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki stuck around after watching the Germany-France quarterfinal. 

The stars are out at Bercy Arena. ⭐️ 📺 USA Network + Peacock 🇺🇸 #USABWNT #Paris2024 #Basketball pic.twitter.com/Ux0qzpyKtU — USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 7, 2024

Brittney Griner more grateful than ever in Paris Olympics

Brittney Griner knows the face she presents to the world is often a mask. 

She knows what you see — the goofy grin, the 6-foot-9 big kid who loves skateboarding and off-roading, the intimidating shot-blocker on the basketball court — is only a fraction of the truth. 

To outsiders it looks like Griner has moved on quickly from her 10-month detention in Russian custody , a terrifying and isolating stretch of time that would’ve broken most people. When she poses for photos with fans, easily banks in an eight-footer, it looks like things are back to normal. But they’re not, and she’s not. 

“It’s always with me, and there’s definitely moments of like, oh wow this could be totally different — I could be seeing this beautiful view through bars,” Griner said Saturday from USA practice. “It doesn’t go away. It makes you appreciate everything a little bit more too.” 

USA women's basketball starting lineup today

Napheesa Collier, A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Breanna Stewart and Chelsea Gray are the starters for the U.S. This lineup is Las Vegas Aces — literally. Though Diana Taurasi started every pool play game, coach Cheryl Reeve has opted to put Jackie Young in the starting lineup for the beginning of medal rounds. That’s three of the Aces on this team in the starting lineup then with Young, Chelsea Gray and A’ja Wilson.

Our guess: Young has drawn the assignment of keeping Nigerian guardEzinne Kalu in check. Young is a strong defender — literally, she’s one of the strongest guards in the WNBA — and has played well recently off the bench.

US women's basketball scores, schedule

• July 29: USA 102, Japan 76
• Aug. 1:   USA 87, Belgium 74
• Aug. 4:  USA 87, Germany 68
• Aug. 7: USA 88, Nigeria 74

Women's basketball Olympics 2024 schedule

Here are the remaining contests at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

• Aug. 9:  semifinals, 11:30 a.m. ET and 3 p.m. ET
• Aug. 11: bronze medal game, 5:30 a.m. ET
• Aug. 11: gold medal game, 9:30 a.m. ET

Women’s Olympic basketball coach

Cheryl Reeve, head coach of the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx , will serve as the head coach of the 2024 USA women's national team. Kara Lawson (Duke), Joni Taylor (Texas A&M) and Mike Thibault (Washington Mystics) will serve as Reeve's assistant coaches. Reeve and her staff previously led the USA women to a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup.

Breanna Stewart -Sabrina Ionescu connection at Olympics

When she’s sprinting up the floor in transition, Breanna Stewart knows Sabrina Ionescu is looking for her. 

The two have played together so long – nearly 70 games with the New York Liberty over two seasons, plus 17 games together on Team USA – that their knowledge of the other is practically intrinsic. Ionescu knows where Stewart wants the ball. Stewart knows which passing lane Ionescu prefers when she wants to fire an assist Stewart’s way. 

The obvious magnetism between teammates like Stewart and Ionescu can’t be faked or developed overnight. It comes organically, built over hundreds of practices with each other. And it’s giving the Americans a big advantage as they go for their eighth consecutive gold medal in women’s basketball.

"It’s really helpful," said U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve. "You can see when Sab is running the flor, she’s looking for Stewie. Her eyes are up, she knows when Stewie’s cutting (to the basket). Synergy with your (WNBA) teammates, that’s a natural thing."

USA women's Olympic basketball team roster

The U.S. women's basketball roster is made up of eight WNBA champions,  three WNBA MVPs  and five WNBA Rookies of the Year.

• Guards: Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Diana Taurasi, Jackie Young
• Forwards: Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, A'ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier
• Center: Brittney Griner

Diana Taurasi Olympic gold medals

Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) are the only two American women's basketball players to win five Olympic gold medals. Taurasi can become the first to earn six gold medals in Paris. 

A’ja Wilson’s basketball dominance is driven by joy

A’ja Wilson will keep piling up double-doubles, pushing the boundaries of what a forward in this game can do and, if all goes according to plan, lead the U.S. women's basketball team to a record eighth straight Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics . Maybe the crowning of the latest U.S. dynasty, led by an exceptional talent, will make you tune in. If not, Wilson figures, that’s your loss. 

“Forwards, centers, whatever you want to call us, we don’t get the love we should,” Wilson told USA TODAY Sports. “But I don’t pay it any mind because the true fans, the ones who really understand and love the game, they understand how forwards and centers are a huge part. So yeah, I feel like we’re under appreciated. But I love my position.”

Still, the best player in the world knows there’s likely to be more eyeballs than ever on women’s basketball this summer. She can’t wait to put on a show .

USA women's basketball Olympic gold medals

USA women's basketball has medaled in every Olympics it has participated, winning a total of 11 Olympic medals, including nine gold, one sliver and one bronze. Here's how the U.S. women have performed since 1976, when women’s basketball debuted at the Montreal Olympics:

• 2020, Tokyo: Gold (90–75 win over Japan) 
• 2016, Rio: Gold (101–72 win over Spain) 
• 2012, London: Gold (86-50 win over France) 
• 2008, Athens: Gold (92–65 win Australia) 
• 2004, Athens: Gold (74–63 over Australia)
• 2000, Sydney: Gold (76–54 over Australia) 
• 1996, Atlanta: Gold (111–87 win over Brazil)
• 1992, Barcelona: Bronze (88–74 win over Cuba in bronze medal game)
• 1988, Seoul: Gold (77–70 win over Yugoslavia)
• 1984, Los Angeles: Gold (85–55 win over South Korea) 
• 1980, Moscow: USA boycotted Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
• 1976, Canada: Silver (83–67 loss to Czechoslovakia)

France vs Germany basketball game

The French women’s basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the Paris Olympics Wednesday with an 84-71 quarterfinal win over Germany, and will take on Belgium next. Given the major home court advantage France has here — Bercy Arena is packed with locals and they’re loud — there is no question they will be able to push the Americans if they meet the U.S. in the final (and Diana Taurasi said as much before the Games started).

France is led by two players WNBA fans will be familiar with. Marine Johannes (24 points vs. Germany) and Gabby Williams (15 points, six rebounds) have played terrific in these Olympics, and their pro experience means they won’t back down against A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and company. if they play each other for gold.

Olympic basketball scores today

There are four women's games on today's slate.

• Australia 85, Serbia 67
• Belgium 79, Spain 66
• France 84, Germany 71
• United States 88, Nigeria 74

Olympic basketball bracket

Here is the full women's basketball bracket for the Paris Olympics .

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