At the exact moment world champions Argentina kicked off their high-octane FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash against Egypt on Tuesday evening, world football body FIFA announced the refereeing line-up for the first quarter-final between France and Morocco.
For the first time at this edition of the tournament, through 96 matches, all five officials appointed for a game belonged to the same country: Argentina. FIFA have previously deployed on-field referees from the same nation during the tournament, but none of the previous 96 matches featured a five-member officiating crew from a single country.
The announcement immediately sparked debate on social media, with an all-Argentine refereeing team assigned to a quarter-final involving France, who have faced Argentina in each of the past two World Cup knockout stages.
Kylian Mbappe and Co. famously beat Argentina 4-3 in a thrilling Round of 16 contest at the 2018 World Cup. Four years later, however, Lionel Messi’s side prevailed in the final, winning 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
The match officials for @FIFAWorldCup match 97 have been appointed. 🤝
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) July 7, 2026
All-Argentine refereeing line-up for Boston
According to Spanish news website Marca, French outlet RMC Sport led criticism of FIFA’s decision, saying the governing body “has no shame” after appointing Argentine referee Facundo Tello to take charge of Thursday’s quarter-final in Boston, a rematch of the 2022 semi-final.
Tello’s compatriots Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade will serve as assistant referees. Fellow Argentine Dario Herrera has been named fourth official, while Cristian Navarro will be the reserve assistant referee.
Neutral referees from multiple countries are usually grouped together to officiate World Cup matches, particularly high-stakes knockout fixtures, to avoid perceptions of bias or conflicts of interest.
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Despite the scrutiny, Tello remains one of South America’s most respected referees and is known for his strict officiating. He famously issued 10 red cards during the mass confrontation in the 2022 Trofeo de Campeones final between Boca Juniors and Racing Club. He also drew criticism from Morocco during the 2022 World Cup after forward Walid Cheddira was sent off in their quarter-final victory over Portugal.
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The upcoming quarter-final will mark the first time the 44-year-old has officiated a match involving France.
“All Argentina referees for a France match. FIFA trying everything to rig the World Cup for Argentina once again,” one user wrote on social media.
Another posted: “FIFA doesn’t hide it anymore. All Argentinian. Why don’t you bring Messi to check the VAR too?”
Ironically, the social media uproar came on the same night Argentina supporters criticised FIFA’s appointment of French referee François Letexier for their Round of 16 victory over Egypt. Letexier was also accompanied by two French assistant referees.
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Argentina’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win triggered protests from Egypt, whose players and coach criticised several refereeing decisions, including one they believed denied them a crucial second goal.
France team response
Despite the online furore, the 2018 world champions have refused to be drawn into the debate over the refereeing appointments.
“I’m not going to focus on who the referee will be,” defender Dayot Upamecano told L’Equipe.
“We’ve never done that before. We’re going to focus on Morocco. What we want is to win this match. That’s the most important thing.”
Third-choice goalkeeper Robin Risser struck a similar tone. “We mustn’t fall into paranoia; it’s your role to stir things up,” he said.
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