Kenya misses out as FIFA announce World Cup referee panel
FIFA has announced the appointment of 170 match officials for the upcoming 2026 World Cup, selecting referees, assistant referees and video match officials from across all six confederations and 50 member associations.
The tournament, set to take place between June 11 and July 19 in the United States, Mexico and Canada, will feature an expanded 48-team format and 104 matches, making it the largest edition in World Cup history.
However, Kenyan referees were notably absent from the list of officials named for the tournament, despite the country’s growing participation in international football competitions.
In the selection, FIFA named 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials. The officials were chosen based on consistent top-level performance over the past three years, following a detailed monitoring and evaluation process.
FIFA’s chief refereeing officer and chairman of the Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, said the selected officials represent the highest standards in global officiating.
“The selected match officials are the very best in the world. They were part of a wider pool identified and monitored over the past three years. They have attended seminars and officiated at FIFA tournaments, and their performances in domestic and international matches were regularly assessed,” Collina said.
He added that the referees will continue to receive extensive preparation ahead of the tournament, including fitness, medical and psychological support to ensure peak performance.
“The selected officials have received, and will continue to receive, comprehensive support from fitness coaches and medical staff, including physiotherapists and a mental specialist. Our goal is to ensure they are in optimal physical and mental condition when they arrive in Miami on 31 May,” he said.
Collina further noted that this year’s expanded officiating team reflects the scale of the tournament and FIFA’s commitment to improving refereeing standards.
“It will be the largest FIFA Team One ever, with 41 more match officials than at Qatar 2022. Each of them must be ready to be appointed for a match and contribute to ensuring refereeing success at the World Cup,” he said.
He also highlighted continued progress in women’s representation, noting that six female match officials have been selected, continuing a trend introduced at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
