The excitement for the 2022 FIFA World Cup continues to build as the biggest tournament in international football kicks off in Qatar.
A first Northern Hemisphere winter competition is one of a host of historical firsts for the 2022 World Cup as 32 teams make the trip to the Middle East.
While the players are always the prime attraction, the match officials inevitably find their way into the spotlight during the quadrennial tournament.
VAR decisions are likely to be a huge point of contention in Qatar and the referees with the power to make those calls will be placed under the microscope.
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The Sporting News looks at the people who will be making those decisions:
List of World Cup referees 2022
All six of FIFA's continental federations will feature at the World Cup, including 33 referees from 29 countries, to take charge of the tournament’s 64 matches.
OFC do not have a national side at the 2022 World Cup but they have New Zealand official Matthew Conger flying the continental flag.
Here is the full list of referees for the World Cup 2022:
- Ivan Barton (Slovenia
- Chris Beath (Australia)
- Raphael Claus (Brazil)
- Matthew Conger (New Zealand)
- Ismail Elfath (United States)
- Mario Escobar (Guatemala)
- Alireza Faghani (Iran)
- Stephanie Frappart (France)
- Bakary Gassama (Gambia)
- Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)
- Victor Gomes (South Africa)
- Istvan Kovacs (Romania)
- Ning Ma (China)
- Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
- Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
- Antonio Mateu (Spain)
- Andres Matias Matonte Cabrera (Uruguay)
- Mohammed Abdulla Mohammed (UAE)
- Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda)
- Maguette N’Diaye (Senegal)
- Michael Oliver (England)
- Daniele Orsato (Italy)
- Kevin Ortega (Peru)
- Cesar Ramos (Mexico)
- Fernando Rapallini (Argentina)
- Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)
- Daniel Siebert (Germany)
- Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)
- Anthony Taylor (England)
- Facundo Tello (Argentina)
- Clement Turpin (France)
- Jesus Valenzuela (Venezuela)
- Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan)
Best referees World Cup 2022
As part of the long list of referees set to take charge of World Cup games, there are a string of names who will be familiar to European football fans.
Danny Makkelie, Antonio Mateu, Michael Oliver, Anthony Taylor and Clement Turpin are the eye-catching officials in Qatar, with all boasting years of Premier League, La Liga and Champions League experience.
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World Cup final referees
FIFA are expected to confirm their plans on who will referee knockout-stage games during the early stages of competition, with fans already speculating on who will be given the final job in Lusail on December 18.
Turpin and Lahoz could be the two key names to watch out for after taking charge of the 2022 and 2021 Champions League finals respectively.
How much do World Cup referees get paid?
Salaries for World Cup 2022 referees are not widely available.
However, according to multiple reports, referees at World Cup 2018 were paid $70,000 overall—a significant boost from the $50,000 they made at Brazil 2014—plus $3,000 per match.
Languages World Cup referees speak: How will referees communicate at World Cup?
Communication is vital for big-game referees as they aim to keep control of the on-pitch action, talk to players and coaches, and liaise with fellow officials and VAR.
With 32 sides taking to the field, there could be around 20 different languages spoken on the pitch, and FIFA lists the official languages spoken by their referees as English, Spanish, French and German.
