MIAMI— FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited the 170 match officials preparing to oversee the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Miami on Sunday, praising them as “the best of the best” ahead of the tournament spanning Mexico, Canada and the United States.
The officiating pool — comprising 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials — has gathered in Miami for a ten-day pre-tournament seminar. The video match officials will subsequently relocate to the International Broadcast Centre in Dallas, while the remaining officials will be based in Miami for the duration of the competition.
“They’ve been working for years to be ready for the greatest World Cup ever. And here they are,” Infantino said after attending one of the squad’s training sessions.
The FIFA president said his visit was intended to signal the organisation’s backing for officials working under intense public scrutiny. “It is important for me to show them our support,” he said. “Their job is incredibly, incredibly difficult, not sufficiently recognised. Their success will be FIFA’s success.”
The match officials were selected through a process spanning more than three years, with candidates evaluated at FIFA tournaments as well as domestic and international competitions across multiple confederations.
In a nod to their host city, the referees’ training kit has been designed in a shade officially designated “pink flamingo” — a tribute to Miami, where the officials will be headquartered throughout the World Cup.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is the first edition to feature 48 teams and 104 matches, placing greater demands on the officiating pool than any previous tournament.- With additional inputs from WAM
