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FIFA has appointed match officials for games 55 through 60 of the 2026 World Cup. With 104 total matches to staff across the first-ever 48-team edition, the governing body is working through referee assignments in structured batches.
The appointments follow a similar batch for matches 49 through 54, which were announced earlier and included referees like Alireza Faghani.
The biggest officiating operation in World Cup history
FIFA pre-selected 170 match officials for this tournament on April 9, 2026. That group breaks down into 52 referees, 88 assistant referees, and 30 video match officials.
The jump from 32 to 48 teams pushed the total match count to 104, roughly 40% more than the 64 played at Qatar 2022.
FIFA has been pairing these assignments with preparation seminars, including a specialized session held in Miami, designed to maintain consistent officiating standards across three host countries: the US, Mexico, and Canada.
Kraken, fan tokens, and crypto’s World Cup moment
Kraken is serving as the Official Crypto Exchange Supporter of the 2026 World Cup, with tournament-tied activities kicking off around June 10, 2026, just a day before the opening match.
Belgium’s football association launched the $BELG fan token via Socios.com on June 3, 2026, giving supporters a blockchain-based tool for engagement with their national team.
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