Argentina set World Cup 2026 record… without Lionel Messi
Argentina have already achieved a historic milestone for the 2026 World Cup, and this time it does not involve their star Lionel Messi.
Argentina have already achieved a historic milestone for the 2026 World Cup, and this time it does not involve their star Lionel Messi. The AFA confirmed that the country will have nine referees across main officials, assistants and VAR, marking a record presence.
The main referees selected are Facundo Tello, Darío Herrera and Yael Falcón Pérez, who will represent Argentina in the tournament across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Full officiating team
The list is completed by Juan Pablo Belatti, Maximiliano del Yesso, Gabriel Chade, Facundo Rodríguez and Cristian Navarro as assistant referees, while Hernán Mastrángelo will serve as a VAR official.
Among them, Facundo Tello is the only referee with World Cup experience after officiating in Qatar 2022, while Herrera and Falcón Pérez will make their debut.
A milestone for Argentine refereeing
The AFA described the appointments as a historic record, noting that Argentina and Brazil lead the number of main referees selected.
In total, FIFA appointed 52 main referees, 88 assistants and 30 VAR officials, expanding the officiating pool compared to previous editions.
