João Pinheiro nearing 2026 World Cup: Portugal may have ref after 12 years | OneFootball

Portugal could once again have a main referee at a World Cup, 12 years later. João Pinheiro is taking part in the FIFA and UEFA training camp being held in Viareggio, Italy, until April 2, a decisive step before the final selection of the European referees for the 2026 World Cup.

From this group, the 12 UEFA referees who will be present at the final stage of the competition will be chosen, raising expectations over the possible Portuguese presence among those selected. The last time a Portuguese main referee took part in a World Cup was in 2014.

João Pinheiro has been accumulating major international appointments and was recently linked to one of the most demanding matches in the European play-off for qualification for the 2026 World Cup. The Portuguese referee was appointed to officiate the clash between Ukraine and Sweden in the semi-finals of the European qualifying play-off.

His presence at the Viareggio camp represents another important step in the international path of the Barcelos referee. At this stage, the candidates are assessed on several technical, physical and disciplinary parameters, in a process that comes before the release of the final list for the tournament to be played in 2026.

Somewhat surprisingly, Portuguese refereeing is now closer to returning to the biggest stage in world football with a main referee on the pitch, a scenario that is gaining strength as FIFA’s final decision approaches.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.