Qatar's Khamis Al-Marri Named to Video Officiating Team for World Cup Final

DOHA — Qatari international referee Khamis Al-Marri has been appointed to the video officiating team for the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Spain and Argentina, FIFA confirmed, handing the Gulf nation a presence at the sport's showpiece match at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

Al-Marri joins the crew supporting the video assistant referee for the final between the reigning world champions, Argentina, and European champions Spain, which kicks off at the venue branded “New York New Jersey Stadium” on 19 July.

The officiating team

The final will be led on the pitch by Slovenia's Slavko Vinčić, who becomes the first referee from his country to take charge of a World Cup final and only the 23rd match official in history to do so. Germany's Bastian Dankert takes the primary video assistant referee role, assisted by Colombia's Nicolás Gallo, with Al-Marri serving in a support capacity within the video operations room.

In that role, Al-Marri helps monitor the live match and flag potential incidents while the lead VAR reviews slow-motion replays — part of the behind-the-scenes team that reviews goals, penalties, red cards and mistaken-identity decisions.

A point of pride for Qatari refereeing

The appointment extends Qatar's growing footprint in elite international officiating, three and a half years after the country hosted the 2022 World Cup. Al-Marri was among the confederation's officials selected for the 2026 tournament across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and his place on the final's video team caps his participation at the event.

The final

Sunday's match pits Lionel Messi's Argentina, seeking to defend the title it won in Qatar in 2022, against a Spain side that arrived in the final after an imperious semifinal victory over France. It marks the climax of a 48-team tournament — the first of its expanded format — spread across three host nations.