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Morocco defeated the Netherlands in the round of 32
Today, Thursday, the International Football Federation (FIFA) announced the referee for the 2026 World Cup round of 16 match between the Moroccan national team and their Canadian counterpart, scheduled for next Saturday at the Houston Stadium in the United States of America.
FIFA has decided to appoint the English veteran referee Michael Oliver to lead the match, who will be assisted by his compatriots Stuart Porte and James Mainwaring, and the fourth referee will be the Dutchman Danny Makele, and the reserve referee will be his compatriot Hessel Steijstra.
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Born on 20 February 1985, Oliver is considered one of the youngest referees to have been promoted to the English Premier League, as he officiated his first Premier League game in 2010 when he was twenty-five years old, at the time becoming the youngest referee to referee the competition since 1992.
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The English referee received his international badge from FIFA in 2012 and has since become one of the old continent’s most popular elite referees, having officiated dozens of Champions League matches, including quarter-final and semi-final encounters, as well as taking charge of the European Super Cup in 2011 between Real Madrid and Sevilla.
Oliver also took charge of the 2015 Under-17 World Cup final in Chile between Mali and Nigeria and then officiated the 2018 FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium.
At national team level, he took part in the European Championship of Nations (Euro 2020) before appearing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he officiated three matches, notably the group stage clash between Mexico and Saudi Arabia and then the penalty shootout between Japan and Croatia.
Oliver is known for his calm style of refereeing, which relies heavily on keeping the edge of the game and minimizing stoppages as much as possible, which has made him one of the most trusted referees by England and European federations in recent years.
