Qatari Referee to Officiate Portugal vs. Democratic Republic of Congo Match in 2026 World Cup

The International Football Federation (FIFA) has announced the officiating teams assigned to manage matches in Groups 11 and 12 of the 2026 World Cup, set to take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

According to a post on FIFA’s official account on X, Qatari referee Abdallah Al Jassim will officiate the match between Portugal and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Group 11.

With this appointment, Al Jassim becomes the third Arab referee to officiate in the current edition of the 2026 World Cup, following Egyptian Amin Omar, who managed the South Korea vs. Czech Republic match in Group A, and Algerian Mustapha Ghorbal, who officiated the Haiti vs. Scotland match early Sunday morning in Group C.

In another match within Group 11, FIFA has assigned English referee Anthony Taylor to oversee the game between Uzbekistan and Colombia.

The referees’ committee has also appointed French referee Clément Turpin to manage the highly anticipated clash between England and Croatia in Group 12, while Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg will officiate the match between Ghana and Panama in the same group.