Overview
- João Pinheiro was announced as the center referee for the Round of 32 match at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, a decision reported Sunday by multiple outlets.
- Pinheiro will be assisted by fellow Portuguese referees Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia, with Omar Al Ali named as fourth official and Mohamed Al‑Hammadi as the reserve assistant.
- Several outlets also listed a VAR team led by Spain’s Carlos del Cerro Grande with Rodolpho Toski and Hernán Mastrángelo as assistants, but that video‑review lineup is not uniformly confirmed.
- Pinheiro is 38, officiates in Portugal’s Primeira Liga, has been FIFA‑listed since 2016 and holds UEFA elite status, and this will be his second match at the 2026 World Cup and his first major international tournament.
- The match is the first World Cup knockout for both Canada and South Africa—South Africa reached the last 32 for the first time—and the partly unconfirmed VAR assignments add to scrutiny after controversial officiating earlier in the tournament.