Argentina's Facundo Tello has been confirmed as the referee for Canada's opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The game takes place at BMO Field in Toronto, with kick-off scheduled for 3pm local time (8pm UK time).

A referee with major tournament experience

Tello, 44, brings considerable experience to the role, having previously officiated at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and at Euro 2024 — a notable appointment given that he and his assistant referees are all Argentine, not European.

He has spent over a decade officiating in the Argentine top flight and is perhaps best known internationally for a Champions Trophy final between Boca Juniors and Racing Club in which he brandished ten red cards. That match stands as an outlier in an otherwise measured career.

Disciplinary record in context

In the current season, Tello has taken charge of 14 matches across all competitions, showing just 2 red cards — a rate of 0.14 per game — alongside 67 yellow cards (4.78 per game). One of those red cards was for a second bookable offence. The Argentine league is widely regarded as one of the more combative in South America, which puts those numbers in perspective.

On the international stage, Tello's record is considerably calmer. He issued no red cards across his two matches at Euro 2024, though he did show nine yellow cards. In seven games during the South American section of 2026 World Cup qualifying, he produced 26 yellows and again zero red cards.

At the 2022 World Cup, his only sending-off across three matches came when Morocco's Walid Cheddira received a second yellow card during the quarter-final against Portugal.

Full officiating team

Argentina's Hernan Mastrangelo will serve as VAR lead, supported by Uruguay's Antonio Garcia and Nicaragua's Tatiana Guzman. The fourth official and reserve assistant referee are Khalif Alturais and Mohammed Alabakry, both from Saudi Arabia.