Uzbek referees to officiate at the World Cup

A refereeing team led by Ilgiz Tantashev will take part in this year’s FIFA World Cup. This was stated in the list of match officials announced by FIFA.

According to the list, at the World Cup to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Ilgiz Tantashev will officiate matches together with his assistant referees, Andrey Sapenko and Timur Gaynullin.

“FIFA Team One includes 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials (VAR) from all six confederations and 50 member associations, making it the most extensive refereeing team in FIFA World Cup history. The appointments were made in line with FIFA’s long-standing ‘quality first’ principle, taking into account the candidates’ consistency in FIFA tournaments in recent years, as well as in international and domestic competitions,” the organization said.

For reference, before this, Uzbek referee Ravshan Irmatov took part in three consecutive World Cups — in 2010 in South Africa, 2014 in Brazil, and 2018 in Russia. This remains a record among referees.

The World Cup will begin on June 11 and conclude on July 19. The tournament will feature 48 teams for the first time. Uzbekistan’s national team will compete in Group K of the 2026 World Cup alongside Portugal, Colombia and DR Congo.