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World Cup 2018 referees

The World Cup 2018 referees are announced. Below you’ll find a list with all the referees. You’ll also find the names of the video referees below.

Update: the referee for the final is Nestor Pitana from Argetina. He shares 3 tips for you as (amateur) referee. Check out the tips from the World Cup final referee.

World Cup final referees and medals

 

Referees media briefing

Want to be updated on the latest referee briefing? Check out what Pierluigi Collina says.

Referees have done a FIFA fitness test and are all ready for the World Cup. You also can download a pdf with the World Cup 2018 referees.

AFC referees (6)

Alireza  Faghani (Iran)
Ravshan Irmatov, Ravshan (Uzbekistan)
Mohammed Mohamed (United Arab Emirates)
Ryuji Sato (Japan)
Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrein)

CAF referees (6)

Mehdi Abid Charef (Algeria)
Malang Diedhiou (Senegal)
Bakary Gassama (Gambia)
Ghead Grisha (Egypt)
Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)
Bamlak Tessema (Ethiopia)

OFC referees (2)

Mattew Conger (New Zealand)
Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)

CONCACAF referees (6)

Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)
Mark Geiger (USA)
Jair Marrufo (USA)
Ricardo Montero  (Costa Rica)
John Piiti (Panama)
César Ramos (Mexico)

CONMEBOL referees (6)

Bascuñán, Julio (Chi)
Cáceres, Enrique (paar)
Cunha, Andrés (Uru)
Pitana, Nestor (Arg)
Ricci, Sandro (Bra)
Roldán, Wilmar (Col)

UEFA referees (10)

Felix Brych (Germany)
Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)
Sergey Karasev (Russia)
Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
Milorad Mažić (Serbia)
Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)
Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
Clémet Turpin (France)

Video Assistant Referees

Abdulrahman Al Jassim (AFC, Qatar)

Wilton Sampaio (Conmebol, Brazil)
Gery Vargas (Conmebol, Bolivia)
Mauro Vigliano (Conmebol, Argentina)

Bastian Dankert (Uefa, Germany)
Artur Soares Dias (Uefa Portugal)
Paweł Gil (Uefa, Poland)

Massimiliano Irrati (Uefa, Italy)
Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins (Uefa, Portugal)
Danny Makkelie (Uefa, Netherlands)
Daniele Orsato (Uefa, Italy)
Paolo Valeri (Uefa, Italy)
Felix Zwayer (Uefa, Germany)
Referees World Cup 2018

24 Comments

    • Jan ter Harmsel

      Because Mark Clattenburg stopped and the other refs where not on the prospective list yet. Oliver and Taylor have now become Elite referees at Uefa, but that’s too late for the World Cup.

  • paul Adams

    Because the English referees re not up to the standard required. Michael Oliver is our best referee and will eventually make it, Anthony Taylor is a joke. He is not up to standard for the Premiership and his only involvement in International football is to be the idiot standing at the side of the goal doing absolutely nothing.

  • Tony B

    The Premier League is probably the most competitive League in the World and referees, relatively, make few errors. It is sad when none will be at the Workd Cup, especially when you look at Countries who have representatives there. Not sure refs in Bahrain will have officiated in games like the Manchester Derby

    • Jan ter Harmsel

      Every country has it’s derbies. Mazic is from Serbia and I can assure you the Belgrade is quite intense. Don’t know football in Bahrein, but there might be such games as well, plus Asia also has a Champions League. I think Premier League as a very high standard, but these refs do have quite a lot of international experience and a ref like Irmatov has got some important WC games as well.

  • Ian O'Callaghan

    Antony Taylor is on the Elite List seen him referee Champions League games
    Now they have scrapped the age they have to pack in. Martin Atkinson could have gone trouble is there is less from UEFA countries (10) and more from places never heard of.

    • Jan ter Harmsel

      Hi Ian, Anthony is on the Elite list since January, but in the group lower you also get CL games. Now he is Elite he will probably be shortlisted for the Euro Tournament in 2020.

  • Bradley Buchner

    Jan ter Harmsel – you have good insight. Having watched the first weekend of games, Faghani from Iran acquitted himself well in Germany v Mexico. Marciniak – only so-so in Argentina v Iceland. England’s referee cohort is in transition right now – several of the more experienced have retired, and the younger ones aren’t quite ready yet. I watched a lot of Premiership matches this past season, and found the officiating to be unusually uneven in quality – unusual for English soccer – but true nonetheless. There is still a prejudice by the “established” soccer nations against referees from lesser confederations. I would only say – I am a retired referee of 35 years – and have watched world cup soccer since 1966. The best referee I ever observed (over 3 world cups) was Jamal al-Sharif of Syria. IMHO he should have had the final in 1994. My point though, is that Syria is not exactly known for it football prowess – yet al-Sharif always earned high marks.

    • Jan ter Harmsel

      I didn’t follow football by then (not born yet), so don’t know this Syrian referee. Will have a look at him and try to find more info on him. Usually the bigger countries have more refs, but other ones are can really be good. Love the Iranian referee during his three games. Asian referee for the final this time?

  • MoReza

    Who knows which one will be for final game?
    In my book, Alireza Faghani, the fastest Iranian referee so far, who was the referee of Germany vs. Mexico has great chance to blow the whistle.

  • Andy M.

    I guess Sandro Ricci is the right man to take charge of the grand final at Luzhniki Stadium on 15 July. With the last two WC finals having been assigned to European refs, it’s time for someone outside UEFA to have the honor to officiate the most coveted football match in the entire world. Ricci has been outstanding in all duels he’s refereed thus far and we do not know when Brazil will crash out of the WC this early in the future, so this huge opportunity has to be seized. Plus, Ricci has been one of the most reliable FIFA refs for quite a long time now and he’s participating in his last WC, while Faghani, who’s been doing very well too, still has another chance at Qatar 2022. I really hope the Committee takes the adequate decision awarding Ricci such a well-deserved WC final.

    • Jan ter Harmsel

      For me Faghani is one of the best and I would not wait 4 years. You can make one mistake then and you’ll loose your chances right away despite being (one of) the best in this tournament.

      Did not see much of Ricci due to holidays.

      We’ll all know by Friday.

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