France's Francois Letexier has been appointed to referee the FIFA World Cup round of 16 clash between Argentina and Egypt, a match that could see Lionel Messi push closer to the tournament's golden boot.

The encounter will take place at the Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, kicking off at 5pm UK time on Tuesday, with ITV broadcasting the game in the United Kingdom.

Letexier's third appearance at this tournament

The assignment marks Letexier's third match of the competition. He previously took charge of Ivory Coast's 1-0 victory over Ecuador, as well as Cape Verde's goalless draw with Saudi Arabia.

At 37, Letexier carries a wealth of top-level experience. He made history as the youngest referee ever to officiate a European Championship final, presiding over Spain's triumph against England two years ago.

Since then, he has gone on to handle UEFA Champions League fixtures and last season's UEFA Europa League final, in which Aston Villa defeated Freiburg.

A full French officiating team

Letexier will be supported on the touchlines by fellow Frenchmen Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni as his assistant referees.

Video Assistant Referee duties fall to another French official, Jerome Brisard, who will be assisted by Willy Delajod and Moroccan official Hamza El Fariq.

Rounding out the officiating panel, El Salvador's Ivan Barton will serve as fourth official, with compatriot David Moran taking on the role of reserve assistant referee.

Argentina and Egypt's path to the last 16

Argentina arrive at the knockout stage with Messi eyeing the tournament's top scorer award, while Egypt will be seeking to produce one of the competition's major upsets and secure a quarter-final berth.