Confirmed Match Officials: Manchester City vs Wydad AC (FIFA Club World Cup Group Stage) | OneFootball

Manchester City will begin their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup account with a meeting against Moroccan outfit Wydad AC in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola and his players have been busy at work preparing for their tournament opener in Pennsylvania within their training base in Boca Raton, Florida – a prime chance for some of the new signings to embed themselves before their curtain-raiser in the United States.

In the brand new revamped and expanded edition of the Club World Cup, which Manchester City won in December 2023, an initial group stage format will precede the knock-out stage, as Al Ain of the UAE and Juventus of Italy follow matchday one.

While there has been some scepticism over just how attractive the competition will prove to be this summer, many Manchester City fans are excited ahead of the opening fixture, largely due to the four new arrivals into the squad.

Rayan Ait-Nouri has added much-needed quality into the left-back role while Tijjani Reijnders has bolstered central midfield, with Rayan Cherki coming into the attacking midfield ranks vacated by Kevin De Bruyne.

Ahead of the meeting between Manchester City and Morocco’s Wydad AC, FIFA have now announced the list of match officials to oversee proceedings at Lincoln Financial Field!

Match Referee

Overseeing matters from the role of on-field match referee between Manchester City and Wydad AC will be Brazilian official, Ramon Abatti.

The 35-year-old has officiated contests for the local federation in Sao Paulo – Federação Paulista de Futebol – since 2012, before joining the Brazilian Football Confederation in 2020 and Conmebol/FIFA in 2021.

Taking on his first international performance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Abatti was notably embroiled in controversy in the 2023 Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A match between Fluminense and Corinthians, as well as the final of the 2024 Campeonato Paulista.

Ramon Abatti perhaps most notably took charge of the gold medal final match between Spain and France at the 2024 Olympics, hosted within Paris’ Parc des Princes.

Assistant Referees

Accompanying Ramon Abatti will be fellow Brazilian match officials Danilo Manis and Rafael Alves, who will adopt the roles of assistant referees for the contest.

Video Assistant Referees

In the role of Video Assistant Referee for Manchester City’s FIFA Club World Cup opener will be Venezuelan referee Juan Soto, accompanied by Mexico’s Erick Miranda in the role of Assistant Video Assistant Referee.

Spain’s Carlos Del Cerro Grande has been appointed into the position of Support Video Assistant Referee for the contest.

Fourth Official

Standing between the two dugouts on Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia and taking on the role of fourth official for Manchester City against Wydad AC will be China’s Ma Ning.