Overview
- FIFA, which released the roster Thursday, named 52 central referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video officials for the World Cup that begins June 11 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
- France landed two central referees with Clément Turpin set for a third World Cup and François Letexier earning his first, joined by French assistants Cyril Mugnier, Benjamin Pagès, Mehdi Rahmouni, Nicolas Danos and VAR official Jérôme Brisard.
- Stéphanie Frappart, who worked at Qatar 2022, was left off the list, and Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo, referee of the turbulent Africa Cup of Nations final, was also not selected.
- The slate features women among the referees, including Mexico’s Katia García as a first-time central referee, with Europe 1 reporting six women selected overall and the United States’ Tori Penso among the centrals.
- The French federation hailed rare dual representation at this level, a setup previously seen for France in 1990 and 2022, reflecting international confidence in its officiating program.