Who Will Referee the World Cup Semifinals? FIFA’s Leading Candidates Ranked

The 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal lineup is complete, with France facing Spain and England meeting Argentina for places in the final. Attention now turns to FIFA’s next referee appointments, but nationality restrictions immediately remove several of the tournament’s highest-rated officials from consideration for one or both matches.

FIFA had not officially confirmed the semifinal refereeing teams at the time of writing. Appointments at this stage are based on performance, neutrality, previous assignments, confederation considerations and whether an official is being protected for the final or third-place play-off. FIFA selected its World Cup officials on the basis of quality and consistency, while referees cannot handle matches involving their own national team.

France vs Spain referee candidates

Clément Turpin and François Letexier cannot referee France vs Spain because both are French. Spanish referee Alejandro Hernández Hernández is also ineligible because Spain are involved.

Michael Oliver would normally be eligible for this match because England are playing in the other semifinal. However, Oliver has just handled Spain’s quarterfinal victory over Belgium. FIFA may prefer not to appoint the same referee to the same team in consecutive knockout rounds, especially with other experienced officials available.

João Pinheiro is Portuguese and therefore eligible in nationality terms, but Portugal’s geographical and footballing proximity to Spain could create an avoidable debate. More importantly, he has just completed Argentina vs Switzerland, so FIFA may decide that another immediate appointment is unnecessary.

That leaves neutral officials such as Poland’s Szymon Marciniak, Slovenia’s Slavko Vinčić, the Netherlands’ Danny Makkelie, Germany’s Felix Zwayer and Brazil’s Raphael Claus among the possible options, provided they remain in FIFA’s active tournament pool and have passed their internal assessments. All were included in FIFA’s original list of World Cup officials.

England vs Argentina referee candidates

Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor cannot referee England vs Argentina because they are English. Facundo Tello is also ruled out because Argentina are involved.

Clément Turpin is eligible for this semifinal because France are playing in the opposite side of the draw. His strong performance in England vs Norway may keep him under consideration, although FIFA must decide whether appointing him to England for a second consecutive match would be appropriate.

João Pinheiro would also be eligible by nationality, but he refereed Argentina’s quarterfinal against Switzerland. Giving him another Argentina match immediately would be unusual and could create unnecessary scrutiny after the controversial dismissal of Breel Embolo.

Officials from neutral countries therefore appear more natural options. Marciniak, Vinčić, Makkelie, Zwayer and other experienced referees still retained by FIFA could all enter the discussion, depending on their previous assignments and internal tournament ratings.

Why strong quarterfinal referees may not receive a semifinal

A referee missing out on a semifinal does not necessarily mean FIFA has rated their performance poorly. The Referees Committee may deliberately keep one of its strongest officials available for the final.

Nationality can also change the plan at the last moment. For example, a French referee cannot handle the final if France qualify, while an English official becomes ineligible if England advance. FIFA must therefore consider several possible final combinations before making the semifinal appointments.

This is why the absence of Turpin or Oliver from the semifinals could actually strengthen the possibility that FIFA is preserving them for a later match, depending on which teams progress.

The VAR Verdict

The semifinal appointments are more complicated than simply choosing the four best-performing referees. Turpin cannot officiate France vs Spain, Oliver cannot handle England vs Argentina, and Tello is unavailable for any Argentina match. Recent quarterfinal assignments may also make immediate repeat appointments less likely.

For France vs Spain, a neutral official with no recent connection to either team appears the cleanest choice. England vs Argentina requires the same approach, particularly because of the historical and political sensitivity surrounding the fixture.

Until FIFA publishes the official teams, every name remains a prediction. However, nationality restrictions and recent appointments already give us a clearer picture of which referees are genuinely available—and which prominent officials can be ruled out immediately.