Oliver and Taylor named among referees for 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor have been confirmed as England’s on-field referees for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after FIFA unveiled its officiating list for next summer’s expanded competition in the United States.

The tournament will feature 48 nations and a total of 104 matches, overseen by 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 VAR officials.

Joining Oliver and Taylor on the pitch will be assistant referees Gary Beswick, Stuart Burt, James Mainwaring and Adam Nunn, meaning six English match officials will be involved in on-field roles at the finals.

Both Oliver and Taylor are set for their second appearances at football’s biggest tournament, having also officiated at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

There will be just one Premier League representative among the video assistant referees, with Jarred Gillett selected for VAR duties.

FIFA has also outlined several officiating innovations set to debut at the tournament. Players will face stricter time limits when leaving the pitch during substitutions, while referees will enforce visible countdowns for throw-ins and goal-kicks. Match officials are also expected to wear body cameras - a first at a World Cup - as part of efforts to bring supporters closer to the on-field action

Full list of referees:

AFC

1. Alireza Faghani 2. Ahmed Al Kaf 3. Abdulrahman Al-Jassim 4. Ma Ning 5. Yusuke Araki 6. Adham Makhadmeh 7. Salman Falahi 8. Omar Al-Ali 9. Ilgiz Tantashev

AFCON

10. Mustapha Ghorbal 11. Jean-Jacques Ndala 12. Issa Sy 13. Amin Omar 14. Bamlak Tessema 15. Dahane Beida 16. Abongile Tom 17. Mahmood Ismail

CONCACAF

18. César Ramos 19. Ismail Elfath 20. Drew Fischer 21. Mario Escobar 22. Iván Barton 23. Said Martínez 24. Adonai Escobedo

CONMEBOL

25. Wilton Sampaio 26. Facundo Tello 27. Raphael Claus 28. Andrés Matonte 29. Kevin Ortega 30. Jesús Valenzuela

OFC

31. Matthew Conger 32. Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh

UEFA

33. Szymon Marciniak 34. Daniele Orsato 35. Danny Makkelie 36. Anthony Taylor 37. Michael Oliver 38. Clément Turpin 39. François Letexier 40. Slavko Vincic 41. István Kovács 42. Carlos del Cerro Grande 43. José María Sánchez 44. Felix Zwayer 45. Daniel Siebert 46. Glenn Nyberg 47. Espen Eskås 48. Sandro Schärer 49. Irfan Peljto 50. João Pinheiro 51. Maurizio Mariani 52. Marco Guida