The 2026 FIFA World Cup final is the most scrutinised match in football, and every call the referee makes will be dissected by billions of viewers worldwide. FIFA faces enormous pressure to appoint the right official — but who are the leading candidates?
Neutrality rules narrow the field
English officials Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor are ruled out entirely. Not only are they ineligible to officiate matches involving England, but FIFA has also barred them from any Argentina fixture due to the historical sensitivities surrounding the 1982 Falklands War.
Ivan Barton, the Salvadoran referee who took charge of the first semi-final between France and Spain, is also unlikely to be considered. He has already handled three matches at the tournament, including the Turkey vs Paraguay group game in which he sent off Miguel Almiron for covering his mouth during a confrontation with Mert Muldur.
FIFA has applied a confederation neutrality policy throughout the competition, aiming to assign referees from a different confederation to the teams playing whenever possible. The policy was only set aside once — when Joao Pinheiro of Portugal officiated Argentina's match against Switzerland, despite both officials and one team coming from UEFA territory.
The leading candidates
Polish referee Szymon Marciniak is among the most prominent names in the conversation. He took charge of the 2022 World Cup final, awarding three penalties — one to Argentina and two to France. Should he be appointed again, he would become the first referee in history to officiate two World Cup finals. He also handled the 2023 UEFA Champions League final and the FIFA Club World Cup final that year. His appointment would be more probable if the finalists come from Europe, given FIFA's confederation neutrality stance.
Alireza Faghani has refereed several high-profile matches at the 2026 tournament, including France vs Senegal, Colombia vs Portugal, and England's dramatic victory over Mexico at the Azteca — a game in which he sent off Jarell Quansah. In the France vs Senegal fixture, Faghani declined to award a penalty for a challenge on Kylian Mbappe, choosing to disagree with his VAR team even after reviewing the incident at the pitchside monitor. FIFA may interpret that decisiveness as precisely the composure required for a final.
Ismail Elfath has overseen three matches at the 2026 World Cup — Japan vs Netherlands, Uruguay vs Spain, and Brazil vs Norway. Against Brazil, he awarded two penalties to A Seleção, with Bruno Guimarães missing the first. He also sent off Agustin Canobbio in extra time of Uruguay's group-stage exit against Spain.
Clément Turpin arrives with the most final experience of any candidate, having previously officiated the UEFA Europa League final and the UEFA Champions League final. However, should England reach the showpiece and Turpin be appointed, his history with Thomas Tuchel will attract attention. After Turpin dismissed Tuchel from the touchline during a 2023 meeting between Bayern Munich and Manchester City, the then-Bayern manager said,
