FIFA published the list of approved referees for the 2026 edition of the World Cup, including Romanian referees Istvan Kovacs and assistant referees Mihai Marica and Ferencz Tunyogi. A total of 52 referees, 88 assistant referees, and 30 VAR officials have been selected to officiate the 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup final tournament, set to begin on Thursday, July 11. Each referee will reportedly earn USD 100,000 from FIFA, in addition to USD 3,000 for each group-stage match and USD 10,000 for every knockout-stage match, including the final.