Argentinian referee Facundo Tello will officiate the 2026 World Cup quarter-final between France and Morocco — a match that carries echoes of the pair's memorable 2022 semi-final, which France won 2-0.

Tello will be flanked by compatriots Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade as his assistant referees, while fellow Argentinians Dario Herrera and Cristian Navarro will serve as the fourth official and reserve assistant referee, respectively.

Tello's World Cup record

The appointment marks Tello's third assignment at the current tournament, bringing his career total to five World Cup matches. At the 2026 edition, he took charge of Canada's 1-1 group stage draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as South Africa's 1-0 victory over South Korea in Group A.

He has prior history with both sides in this fixture. At the 2022 World Cup, Tello refereed Morocco's 1-0 quarter-final win against Portugal — a match in which he issued five bookings, including one red card.

Despite that instance, Tello is not known for reaching frequently for his pocket. Across his five World Cup appearances, he has averaged just 3.2 bookings per game — a notably restrained figure compared to his average of 5.7 bookings per fixture in Argentina's Liga Profesional de Futbol. Equally striking, he has not awarded a single penalty in any of his five World Cup matches.

The stakes for both nations

France are chasing a place in a third consecutive World Cup final. Didier Deschamps' side lifted the trophy in 2018 and reached the final in 2022, only to fall to Argentina on that occasion.

Morocco, meanwhile, are bidding to reach a second successive semi-final. They arrive in the quarter-final on the back of a commanding 3-0 victory over Canada in the Round of 16. France advanced with a tighter 1-0 win against Paraguay in their preceding knockout tie.

A Morocco semi-final berth would further cement the Atlas Lions' status as one of the most remarkable stories in World Cup history — having already become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals at the 2022 edition in Qatar.