To referee the World Cup quarter-final between France and Morocco, FIFA has appointed an Argentine official
FIFA has appointed Argentine referee Facundo Tello to take charge of the 2026 World Cup quarter-final between France and Morocco, backed by an all-Argentine officiating crew — a first for this edition.
FIFA has appointed Argentine referee Facundo Tello to take charge of the 2026 World Cup quarter-final between France and Morocco, set for Thursday, July 9 in Boston (10 p.m. French time).
Notably, the entire officiating crew is Argentine: Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade will serve as assistant referees, Dario Herrera as fourth official, and Christian Navarro will handle video assistance — the first single-nationality officiating team of this World Cup.
Tello is at his second World Cup and has already taken charge of two group-stage matches (Canada-Bosnia 1-1, South Africa-South Korea 0-1), with this quarter-final marking his first knockout-stage assignment in the competition.
The appointment comes after the controversy sparked by French referee François Letexier's assignment to the Argentina-Egypt match, which drew criticism from Argentine observers — making this all-Argentine crew look like a reciprocal gesture in the same spirit.
