Rabat – English referee Michael Oliver has been ruled out of officiating the 2026 FIFA World Cup final after both England and Argentina reached the semifinals.
Despite being regarded by many as one of the tournament’s top officials, Oliver can no longer be appointed to the final as both remaining contenders on one side of the bracket fall under restrictions governing referee appointments.
Oliver has officiated four matches during this year’s World Cup edition, including Spain’s quarterfinal victory over Belgium and Canada’s round-of-16 clash against Morocco.
The referee faced criticism, especially following the match against Canada, in which he issued several yellow cards.
After making his debut in 2018, Oliver had established himself as one of FIFA’s most trusted referees despite missing one group-stage assignment because of an injury.
In FIFA rules, referees are ruled out of officiating matches involving their own national team, automatically excluding Oliver as England remain in contention for the title.
In addition, the English official cannot referee Argentina matches either because FIFA avoids appointing English referees to fixtures involving Argentina or vice versa due to the historical tensions between the two nations.
With one of England or Argentina guaranteed to reach the final, Oliver has no chance of receiving the appointment.
FIFA is expected to announce the officiating team for the World Cup final following the conclusion of the semifinal matches.
