Argentine Referee Facundo Tello to Officiate Morocco vs France Quarterfinal

Argentine referee Facundo Tello has been appointed to officiate the highly anticipated World Cup 2026 quarterfinal between Morocco and France, scheduled for Thursday evening at a stadium in Boston, United States.

According to reports citing FIFA’s referee appointments, the match is set to kick off at 8:00 p.m. GMT, 9:00 p.m. Morocco time, and 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time in Canada.

Tello will not be working alone. He will be supported by an Argentine officiating team that includes Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade as assistant referees. Darío Herrera has been appointed as the fourth official, while Christian Navarro will serve as reserve assistant referee. The all-Argentine team has made the appointment a point of discussion ahead of kickoff.

The choice of referee is attracting attention because of the importance and sensitivity of the match itself. Morocco enters the quarterfinal with hopes of continuing its historic World Cup run after a commanding 3-0 victory over Canada, while France reached this stage after a narrow 1-0 win over Paraguay.

The match also carries strong historical weight. It brings back memories of the 2022 World Cup semifinal in Qatar, when France defeated Morocco 2-0 to end the Atlas Lions’ remarkable campaign.

The appointment of an entirely Argentine refereeing team has raised questions among some fans and French media outlets, especially given the intense football rivalry between France and Argentina since the 2022 World Cup final. However, there is no evidence of any prior bias, and FIFA’s practice of appointing referees from countries not involved in the match remains part of standard tournament procedure.

Facundo Tello is regarded as one of South America’s most prominent referees. An international referee since 2019, he has previously handled major matches under significant public and media pressure.

His performance will therefore be closely watched, particularly because the match carries major technical and psychological stakes. The winner will move on to the semifinal, where they will face the winner of the Spain vs Belgium quarterfinal.