FIFA picks four Qatari referees for 2025 club World Cup in USA
The FIFA Referees Committee has officially announced the list of 117 match officials who will oversee the matches at the first-ever 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, scheduled to take place from June 14 to July 13, 2025, across 12 stadiums in the United States.
The appointed group comprises 35 main referees, 58 assistant referees, and 24 video assistant referees (VAR), representing 41 different national football associations. Among those selected are four officials from Qatar: Salman Al Falahi (main referee), Ramzan Al Naimi and Majed Al Shammari (assistant referees), and Khamees Al Marri (VAR).
The selection follows months of preparation and workshops involving referees from all six continental confederations, focusing on performance consistency and adaptation to global football standards.
Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, described the appointment as a “privilege” for the selected officials. “The bar is higher, and when you get the bar higher, it’s more difficult to keep the standard. But we are working very hard, and Team One will make a solid contribution to the success of this exciting competition,” Collina said.
FIFA Director of Refereeing Massimo Busacca emphasized the importance of consistency and understanding different footballing cultures, comparing the preparation of referees to that of a professional team.
In a significant development, FIFA will introduce a new rule in line with the latest changes by The IFAB to combat time-wasting: if a goalkeeper holds the ball for more than eight seconds—timed with a visual five-second countdown—a corner kick will be awarded to the opposing team instead of the current indirect free kick.
