ENGLAND continue their World Cup campaign tonight against Mexico with a spot in the quarter-finals on the line, and fans are eager to find out who will be on the whistle for the huge clash.
Australian-Iranian referee Alireza Faghani has been appointed to take charge of the last-16 match at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
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Faghani is officiating at his third World Cup this summer Credit: Reuters
The Iranian is not afraid of the sport’s biggest stars Credit: EPA
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JattvibeSport can reveal all about tonight’s referee for England clash with Mexico.
Who is Alireza Faghani?
Alireza Faghani, 48, was born in Iran but migrated to Australia in 2019 – he has officiated under the Aussie flag in 2023.
His younger brother, Mohammadreza, is also a referee down under.
The son of a referee, Faghani spent seven seasons in the Persian Gulf Pro League before making the jump to internationals.
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Originally a player in the lower Iranian leagues, he became a ref and joined the Fifa-elite list in 2008, just one year after making his top-flight debut.
After one year of international experience, he took charge of the 2009 AFC President’s Cup final before hosting the AFC Challenge Cup final a year later.
His first experience at the World Cup was at Brazil 2014, when he was the fourth official during the opening game between Brazil and Croatia.
In 2015, Faghani was involved in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, officiating Saudi Arabia‘s Group B clash with China.
His rapid rise through the refereeing ranks saw him on the whistle for the 2016 Olympics final which saw host nation Brazil beat Germany.
Faghani during the World Cup 2022 clash between Brazil and Serbia Credit: Getty
Faghani officiated the Club World Cup final between Chelsea and PSG Credit: Getty
The 2018 World Cup was Faghani’s first where he was the main official – he was on the whistle for England‘s loss against Belgium in the third-place play-off.
The Australian also took charge of Mexico’s 1-0 win over Germany, as well as the 4-3 thriller between France and Argentina.
Four years later, he was appointed to the Qatar tournament where he was in charge of two group stage games between Brazil and Serbia, as well as Portugal and Uruguay.
Last year, the Australian-Iranian was in North America for the Club World Cup, where he officiated a number of games including Chelsea’s brilliant win over PSG in the final.
Which games has Alireza Faghani officiated at World Cup 2026?
Already at this tournament, Faghani has officiated two games in the group stage.
His first was in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal, where he was criticised for denying Kylian Mbappe a penalty, even after being sent to the VAR booth.
JattvibeSport’s Mark Halsey said he was staggered by the call and said he didn’t think he would be awarded another game as ref.
However, he was given Portugal‘s final Group K match against Colombia, which ended in a goalless draw to secure top spot for the South Americans.
England’s mammoth clash against Mexico is his third of this year’s World Cup.
Why did Faghani migrate to Australia?
Alireza Faghani was born and raised in Iran, but chose to move to Australia in 2019, where he has been officiating in the A-League ever since.
He first travelled down under in 2015 to referee the AFC Asian Cup and had to stay in the country for around 40 days.
In a 2021 interview with SBS Persian, he spoke about his decision to move his family across the world.
“When I spoke with some friends who are living in Australia, I felt that living in Australia would suit my family situation better. So, I consulted with my family about the move.
“At the time, my son was doing his last year in high school, and he was thinking about continuing his tertiary education. So, my family received the idea of migrating to Australia very positively.
“Fortunately, the visa processing procedure went well. And finally, we migrated to Australia.”
Despite officiating under the Australian flag since 2023, Faghani is still proud to represent his homeland on the biggest stage.
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