ZURICH: FIFA has announced the match officials for two quarter-final fixtures of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the appointment for the Morocco vs France match drawing criticism and debate on social media.

According to FIFA’s announcement on its official X account, the first quarter-final, scheduled for July 9 in Boston, United States, will be officiated by an all-Argentine team.

The list includes the referee, two assistant referees, the reserve assistant referee, and the fourth official, all of whom are from Argentina.

The appointments have prompted questions from football fans and social media users, with some expressing surprise that all five officials for such a high-profile match were selected from the same country.

One user wrote that assigning an entirely Argentine officiating team to a France match raised concerns and alleged that FIFA was once again trying to influence the tournament in Argentina’s favour.

Another commenter questioned whether the outcome of the match had already been decided, accusing FIFA of corruption and calling for greater accountability.

A third user remarked that FIFA has referees from dozens of countries but still chose only Argentine officials, sarcastically suggesting that the World Cup trophy might as well be handed directly to Argentina.

FIFA has not publicly responded to the criticism surrounding the appointments. There is no evidence presented that the selection of the officials indicates bias or that it would affect the outcome of the match. Referee appointments are made by FIFA’s Referees Committee under its established procedures.