Portuguese ref João Pinheiro for Argentina v Switzerland quarter-final | OneFootball

FIFA confirmed the referee in charge of officiating the crucial clash between the Argentina National Team and Switzerland in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup. The man ընտrusted with the job is Portuguese official João Pinheiro, who will take charge this Saturday from 10:00 p.m. in Kansas City. For the Portuguese referee, it will be a reunion with the Swiss side in the tournament, while it will mark his absolute debut officiating the Albiceleste. Although he has a solid track record in UEFA continental competitions, his name recently found itself at the center of attention because of a major controversy in the last Champions League.

Career and numbers in the current World Cup

Born in the town of Vila Nova de Famalicão, the 38-year-old official is considered one of the referees with the greatest potential in the Old Continent. He took his first steps in Portugal’s top flight in 2015, and a year later he earned his international badge. In this North American edition, which marks his first World Cup experience, he has already made two previous appearances. Coincidentally, he was in charge of the group-stage match in which Switzerland thrashed Bosnia 4-1, a night when he showed three yellow cards and sent off defender Tarik Muharemovic. He then handled the round-of-32 clash in which Canada eliminated South Africa, where he cautioned just two players.

European experience and major controversy behind him

At club level, Pinheiro has established himself as a regular in UEFA appointments, having made his Champions League group-stage debut during the 2022/23 campaign. Among his most recent milestones was officiating the Super Cup final played last August, where Paris Saint-Germain faced Tottenham in a clean match that he managed with four bookings.

However, his most memorable incident from last season came in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal between Bayern Munich and PSG. In the 30th minute of the first half, with the French side leading 1-0, he failed to award a clear penalty to the Bavarian team after a handball inside the box by his compatriot Joao Neves. Despite furious protests from the German delegation, play continued and VAR decided not to call him over to review the incident on the monitor.

The officiating team for Saturday

For the match in Kansas City, the main referee will be backed by a team of assistants of the same nationality: Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia will serve as the first and second assistant referees, while Canadian Drew Fischer will complete the crew as the fourth official.

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