Portuguese referee João Pinheiro will officiate his second game of the 2026 World Cup, when he referees, on Sunday, the clash between South Africa and Canada, already in the round of 32 of the competition.
According to a statement from the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), João Pinheiro will have as assistants Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia, while referees from the United Arab Emirates Omar Alali and Mohamed Alhammadi will be the fourth referee and reserve assistant, respectively, in a match that will be played on Sunday, starting at 8:00 pm (Lisbon time), at the SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood, in the United States.
João Pinheiro, 38 years old, made his debut at the 2026 World Cup in Switzerland’s 4-1 victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the second round of Group B, and was also the fourth referee in the game between Morocco and Haiti, in the third round of Group C, which the Moroccans won 4-2.
“It is with a feeling of enormous pride that we see the progress of Portuguese referees in the World Championship, now in the knockout phase of the competition. Yet another demonstration of the capacity, determination and quality of Portuguese referees. Congratulations to everyone”said Luciano Gonçalves, president of the FPF Arbitration Council, referring to this appointment of the referee from the Braga association.
