​When FIFA revealed the officiating crew for Thursday’s France vs. Morocco World Cup quarterfinal, online reaction quickly fused suspicion with anger. All five referees selected for the France–Morocco match come from Argentina, a nation that defeated France in the 2022 World Cup final and is now operating on the opposite side of the knockout bracket. This marks the first time in the 2026 tournament that every official assigned to a single match hails from the same country.
“We have to deal with it. I trust the referees. Our opponent is Morocco, not the referee,” France head coach Didier Deschamps said on Wednesday, July 7.
Kylian Mbappé has been a relentless force for France at the 2026 World Cup, and these images capture some of his most memorable moments on the field. In Philadelphia on June 22, 2026, Mbappé advances with the ball past Iraq’s Zaid Ismael during the Group I clash between France and Iraq (photograph by Franck Fife, AFP via Getty Images).
FIFA’s selection process for the 2026 World Cup involved monitoring referees from all six continental confederations over three years and using that performance data to assemble the officiating pool: 52 referees, 88 assistant referees, and 30 video assistant referees. The officials represent 50 different countries. One notable case was Somali referee Omar Artan, part of the 52 chosen, who could not attend because he was denied entry to the United States for the tournament.
Pierluigi Colllina, FIFA’s Chief Refereeing Officer, noted that the chosen match officials had attended seminars, passed fitness tests, and officiated across FIFA tournaments. They also had access to FIFA’s resources on physical and mental health at a training camp in Miami prior to the World Cup.
In terms of assigning referees to specific World Cup matches, FIFA tracks each official’s performance throughout the tournament and typically finalizes assignments three or four days before a game. The organization also prohibits referees from overseeing matches in which their own country participates to prevent conflicts of interest.
The standard on-field crew includes the lead official, two assistants, and a fourth official. There is also a designated reserve assistant referee who can step in if any of the four officials is injured. The VAR team operates from a control room, reviewing plays in real time and flagging potential oversights for the on-field officials. Final ruling, however, rests with the referee on the field.
Referee: Facundo Tello (Argentina)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Pablo Belatti (Argentina)
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade (Argentina)
Fourth Official: Dario Herrera (Argentina)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Cristian Navarro (Argentina)
VAR: Hernan Mastrangelo (Argentina)
Assistant VAR: Leodan Gonzalez (Uruguay)
Support VAR: Tatiana Guzman (Nicaragua)
This report originated from USA TODAY, under the headline: Why are all Argentines officiating France–Morocco? How FIFA assigns World Cup refs for better SEO.