FIFA Announces Referees for Egypt vs New Zealand and Saudi Arabia vs Spain Clashes

FIFA announced the appointment of refereeing teams from the UAE and Brazil to officiate two prominent matches in the second round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, amidst great anticipation from fans regarding the performance of Arab teams in the tournament.

FIFA decided to assign the task of officiating the match between the Egyptian national team and its New Zealand counterpart to Emirati referee Omar Al Ali, with assistance from his compatriot Mohammed Al Hammadi, along with Qatari assistant referee Taleb Al Marri, in the match taking place in Vancouver, Canada, early Monday morning.

The Egyptian national team enters the match with the ambition of achieving its first-ever victory in the World Cup, having started its campaign with a 1-1 draw against Belgium, in a performance that received widespread praise despite the difficulty of the opponent.

In the same context, the International Federation announced the appointment of a Brazilian refereeing team led by referee Raphael Claus to officiate the anticipated match between the Saudi national team and its Spanish counterpart, scheduled to take place on Sunday evening in the city of Atlanta, USA.

The Saudi national team began its campaign in the tournament positively after drawing 1-1 against Uruguay, while the Spanish team settled for a negative result against Cape Verde, in a start described as disappointing for the European champions and one of the top contenders for the title.

The two matches hold great significance in the qualification race, as each team aims to boost its chances early on before entering the complex calculations of the final round of the group stage.