Overview
- FIFA unveiled the roster Thursday, selecting 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials from 50 member associations across all six confederations.
- The tournament will enforce a 10-second limit on substitutions and visible five-second countdowns on throw-ins and goal-kicks, with referees wearing body cameras for the first time at a men’s World Cup.
- Goal-line technology, an upgraded semi-automated offside system and a connected ball will support decisions, with AI software stabilizing body-cam footage for broadcasts.
- Brazil leads national representation with nine officials, and the lineup includes six women, with Tori Penso of the U.S. and Katia Garcia of Mexico among the 52 on-field referees.
- The officials convene for a 10-day seminar in Miami starting May 31, after which VAR crews relocate to Dallas, and the list also includes VARs recently criticized at home such as Egypt’s Mahmoud Ashour and Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al‑Shehri.