9 Surprising Details You Didn’t Know About World Cup Referees

NEED TO KNOW

• FIFA World Cup referees undergo years of training, fitness tests and evaluations before being selected for the prestigious tournament
• The selected referees are monitored and trained at Team One headquarters, with 2026 officials based in Miami and Dallas
• FIFA introduced referee body cameras in 2026 to provide fans with real-time insights into on-field decisions and interactions

While referees are often the faces of some of the most controversial moments in soccer, those selected to enforce the rules for the FIFA World Cup are among the most trained in the world.

In order to become a FIFA International Referee, officials must regulate games in their country’s professional leagues and then be nominated by their country’s national soccer association.

Candidates must then pass a series of intense physical fitness tests to prove they can run up to eight miles per match, as well as pass tests about the game’s rules and clear medical exams. For those who make it through the rigorous process, they continue their training as a part of Team One — which is the name given to the selected group of referees, video match officials and assistant referees.

Throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 52 referees must continue to abide by a strict set of rules, from the kinds of uniforms they wear to which matches they can regulate.

Here are some surprising details about the FIFA World Cup referees.

01 of 09

Referees go through a thorough certification, vetting and selection process that can take up to 30 years

Shortly after one year’s FIFA World Cup ends, officials are already gearing up for the next tournament four years later.

First and foremost, each country’s soccer association determines which of their referees they’d like to nominate for the tournament. The selections are often made based on years of experience and past performances in both domestic leagues and international competitions, according to Sports Illustrated.

After countries nominate their most consistently top officials, FIFA carefully reviews the candidates and narrows down an elite list of potential referees, assistant referees and video assistant referees.

However, the process is still far from over, as candidates are closely monitored for the next few years and must attend a variety of seminars, per The Athletic. FIFA then conducts various physical fitness tests and cognitive evaluations to ensure that the referees have what it takes to keep up with the intense competition.

The final group of candidates must also pass immigration and background checks, as well as medical evaluations. Two former referees, Renato Faverani and Leif Lindberg, told CNN Sports that it took them around 30 years to move up from the amateur leagues to the World Cup.

Finally, six months before the tournament begins, FIFA officially picks their referees and sends out the invites. Of course, the referee’s work is far from over, as they must increase their training even more ahead of the World Cup.

02 of 09

Referees physically train and mentally study for the World Cup in a stimulated environment with trainers, nutritionists and medical specialists

It’s no secret that the soccer players on the field are constantly running and in-motion, so the referees also need to be physically ready to take on the long matches.

Before referees are chosen, they must pass a series of fitness tests — including running timed sprints, interval running and zig-zagging around dynamic courses, per The Athletic. In addition to the physical tests, candidates must also master the Laws of the Game soccer rulebook and attend several intense seminars.

Once chosen for the gig, the referees are continuously monitored in the months leading up to the FIFA World Cup before they touch down at the Team One headquarters (which is in Miami in 2026).

The hand-selected referees undergo daily physical training, including runs and workouts, that simulate the exertion required of them during matches. The group also continue studying the rules of the game and meet with various sports psychologists, while rewatching past videos of difficult decisions.

“I think the players, coaches, spectators would be shocked by the amount of work these referees do to prepare physically,” FIFA’s head of refereeing, Kari Seitz, told The Athletic in 2023. “The change over the last I would say seven, eight years and the physical capacity of our referees has been incredible.”

Seitz continued, “It’s really designated for the requirements of the match. We’re preparing them not to pass a fitness test, we’re preparing them to referee. It’s not just flat-out running, though. It’s running combined with having to make accurate calls in the moment, which can get exacerbated by high-transition game.”

03 of 09

The FIFA referees stay and train at Team One headquarters

In order to maintain high standards for all their officials, FIFA keeps all of the referees, assistants and video match officials at Team One headquarters.

While the city changes depending on the location of that year’s tournament, all of the Team One members typically operate together for the duration of the tournament. For 2026, the referees and assistant referees remained at the Miami training center, but the video match officials moved to the International Broadcast Center in Dallas, Texas.

After referees are sent to their matches — which are taking place across the U.S., Mexico and Canada for 2026 — they return home to their respective home base.

“We are there to assist, to help, to back and support all the referees, the assistants, the (video assistant referees) in their job, which is incredibly, incredibly difficult, not sufficiently recognised. But we do that and the world will see it again, once again, in this FIFA World Cup,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino explained of the Team One headquarters.

He added, “Their success will be FIFA’s success. As I said, they are the best in the world. They are prepared, they have the best conditions. They are ready physically, they are ready mentally, they are ready emotionally. And you know, we will all be successful together.”

04 of 09

Their uniform color is not random

While the referees may look like they’re wearing a normal shirt, FIFA has gone to great lengths to ensure that their uniforms are just as high quality as those of the players. Each shirt, made by Adidas, consists of performance technology that ensures it’s sweat-resistant, lightweight and tailored.

The bulges under the shirt are wireless radio transceivers so they can communicate with the off-field officials.

In addition to the comfort and wear of the shirts, FIFA also monitors the colors — which include black, green, blue, red or yellow for 2026.

When it comes to individual matches, FIFA officials determine which color jersey each team will wear primarily based on the greatest contrast in colors, per Inside FIFA. Once both team colors are determined, FIFA selects the color that the referees will wear, which is also intended to be the most striking color as compared to both of the teams.

For the 2026 tournament, FIFA briefly broke one of its traditions by giving its referees a “flamingo pink” shirt for one of the matches to pay homage to the city of Miami hosting them.

05 of 09

All FIFA referees must wear a “ref cam” to monitor their decisions

For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, referees were introduced to a new piece of technology: a body camera.

The device, which referees wear around their head, is a “small, lightweight video device” that “captures the referee’s point of view during matches,” according to Inside FIFA.

“It records and/or transmits high-definition video and audio in real time to be integrated live into the broadcast or used for post-match review, offering viewers an insight into on-field decisions, events and player interactions,” the website explains.

FIFA implemented the new technology to “address the gap between the referee’s on-field perspective and what fans, coaches and players see, especially through traditional broadcast coverage.”

06 of 09

FIFA referees run an average of six to eight miles per game

The extensive training all the referees endure prior to the tournament pays off, as experts estimate that they run around six to eight miles each game.

UEFA sports scientist Werner Helsen told Sports Illustrated that he estimates referees round around 10 kilometers, or roughly 6.2 miles, during a match.

Meanwhile, Seitz told The Athletic that a center referee runs around the same distance as a midfielder, which is about seven to eight miles each game.

07 of 09

Referees cannot officiate their own country’s games

FIFA strictly prohibits referees and officials from participating in matches involving their own country in order to prioritize neutrality.

In addition to not being able to referee their home country, some officials are also barred from involvement in other country’s games because of past political conflicts.

For instance, English and Argentine referees cannot officiate neither England nor Argentina matches because of the 1982 Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina, per The Athletic.

Other geopolitical disputes are also considered when choosing referees.

08 of 09

They’re chosen for games based on past performance and are given three to four days notice

Since matches are determined on an ongoing basis, referees are also given just a few days notice before they have to pack up and officiate a match.

Referees are chosen on a case-by-case basis with past performance as the primary factor for who’s picked. CNN Sports reported that referees are appointed about three to four days before the game.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the final championship game, all the referees are gathered for the FIFA president to announce who’s been granted the prestigious honor.

09 of 09

The 2026 FIFA referees have enforced new time-wasting rules

In addition to following the strict Laws of the Game, keeping up with professional athletes and embracing their new technology, referees are also cracking down on time-wasting.

The chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, enforced a variety of rules the players must abide by for the 2026 tournament — including five-second goal kick limits and 10-second substitution exits.

“These measures have all been very effective and unanimously considered as very positive innovations,” Collina said in a statement, per Reuters, while adding that “​it should come as no surprise that referees will punish” those who break the rules.

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