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Portuguese referees will oversee the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final match between Argentina and Switzerland. The game is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, at 9pm EDT at the Kansas City Stadium.

The announcement was made through an X post from FIFA on Thursday.

Joao Pinheiro from Portugal will act as the central referee for the match.

He will be supported by two fellow countrymen, Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia, who will take on the roles of Assistant Referee 1 and Assistant Referee 2 respectively.

Canada’s Drew Fischer will act as the fourth official for the game. His fellow countryman, Micheal Barwegen, will take on the role of reserve assistant referee.

FIFA has continued the tradition of selecting referees from nations not participating in a particular match during the competition.

The group or knockout stages of the competition have not seen the organization assign any referee to a match featuring his own nation.

FIFA previously selected an all-Argentine panel of referees for the World Cup quarter-final match involving France and Morocco.

Facundo Tello was the central referee during the game, while Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade acted as assistant referees.

Dario Herrera acted as the fourth official during the match between France and Morocco, whereas Cristian Navarro served as the reserve assistant referee.

The selection sparked responses from soccer supporters, with some challenging the choice because Argentina was still in the competition and might encounter either France or Morocco in a subsequent stage.

PUNCH’s investigations revealed that FIFA rules allow officials from nations still in the tournament to officiate matches, as long as they are not assigned to games involving their own country’s team.

FIFA stated that this procedure has been implemented uniformly throughout the group stage and elimination rounds since the competition began in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Ex- France forward, Thierry Henry, expressed his views on the selection of the Argentine refereeing team for the France-Morocco match.

The Egyptian Football Federation had also appealed to FIFA regarding the officiating in their Round of 16 game against Argentina.

Argentina and Switzerland will compete for a spot in the semi-finals of the competition. The victor will progress to face an opponent yet to be determined from the other quarter-final matches.

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc.Syndigate.info).