Next Thursday, June 18th, marks the debut of Portuguese referee João Pinheiro, 38 years old. He is the one chosen to referee the game between the teams of Switzerland and Bosnia-Herzegovina, counting for the second round of Group B, FIFA announced this Monday (15).
Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia will be assistants to João Pinheiro, from the Braga Football Association, while Japanese Yusuke Araki will be the fourth referee.
Before being called up for the 2026 World Cup, which is being played in the USA, Mexico and Canada, João Pinheiro refereed the last European Super Cup, between PSG and Tottenham, in August 2025.
Abdulrahman Al Jassim, from Qatar, is the referee chosen for the national team’s debut game, scheduled for this Wednesday (June 17), in Houston, against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), counting for the first round of Group K.
An international since 2013, Abdulrahman Al Jassim was at the last World Cup, in 2022, held in his country. The 38-year-old referee will have compatriots Taleb Almarri and Saoud Almaqaleh as assistants. South Africans Abongile Tom and Zakhele Siwela will play the roles of fourth official and reserve assistant judge, respectively.
It is the first time that he will officiate a match for the Portuguese main team, having, however, directed the game of the quinas formation in the under-20 World Cup, in 2017, against Costa Rica, counting for the group stage of the competition, which ended in a draw (1-1).
