The opening Group I fixture at the 2026 World Cup — France against Senegal — will be refereed by Alireza Faghani, the Iranian-Australian official who brings one of international football's most decorated CVs to New York Jersey Stadium.

Kick-off is scheduled for 8PM UK time, with fellow Australians George Lakrindis and James Lindsay serving as assistant referees. Another compatriot, Shaun Evans, will operate the VAR system at this 48-team tournament, which introduced five new rules ahead of its opening clash last Thursday.

A referee with World Cup pedigree

This will be Faghani's seventh World Cup match as referee — an extraordinary milestone. He is perhaps best remembered on the global stage for overseeing the 2018 World Cup group-stage clash between France and Argentina, a match that ended 4-3 to France and is widely regarded as one of the greatest games in the tournament's history. That encounter produced eight bookings and a penalty awarded to France inside the opening 13 minutes.

More recently, Faghani took charge of Chelsea's 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain at the Club World Cup, held in the United States last summer. Across his career, he averages more than 4 bookings per match and has officiated 119 A-League games, 62 AFC Champions League Elite fixtures, and three Olympic Games matches.

France and Senegal enter as serious contenders

France arrive at this contest having reached two consecutive World Cup finals — claiming the trophy in one and falling short in the other — and scoring seven goals across 210 minutes of final football. Les Bleus will be among the tournament favourites once again, with their sights set on a third successive final appearance that would equal Brazil's long-standing record.

Senegal, meanwhile, are no side to be taken lightly. The Africa Cup of Nations champions — a title complicated by a controversial court ruling — carry real quality through their squad and represent one of the most dangerous teams on the African continent. This Group I opener promises to be one of the standout matches of the tournament's early stage.