Overview
- FIFA on Thursday named 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video assistants for the 48-team, 104-match World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
- The officiating group will hold a 10-day seminar in Miami starting May 31, with the VAR team then relocating to Dallas before match appointments are issued.
- England’s Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor were selected as on-field referees, each returning after working at Qatar 2022.
- Brazil leads national representation with nine officials across roles, while Spain has a single main referee in Alejandro Hernández Hernández.
- New measures will include referee body cameras, a 10-second limit on substitutions, and visible five-second countdowns on throw-ins and goal-kicks to cut time-wasting.