FIFA Selects 170 Officials for 2026 World Cup

FIFA announced on Thursday the selection of 170 match officials for the 2026 World Cup, marking the largest refereeing team in the tournament's history as it prepares to host 48 teams across 104 matches in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

The team includes 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video assistant referees, drawn from all six continental confederations and 50 national associations. Among them are six women: two referees, Tori Penso of the United States and Katia Garcia of Mexico; three assistant referees; and one video match official. This continues a trend started at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where three female referees and three female assistants participated for the first time in the men's tournament. Penso officiated the 2023 Women's World Cup final.

The selection process, which spanned three years, emphasized a "quality first" principle, evaluating candidates on consistent performance in domestic and international matches, including FIFA tournaments. Officials underwent regular assessments, attended training seminars and workshops, and received support from fitness coaches, medical staff, physiotherapists and mental health...