Who will be the referee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between USA and Paraguay?

Hosts United States of America will face Paraguay in both countries’ first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held at the Los Angeles Stadium. This will be the US’s first FIFA World Cup match on home soil since the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where eventual winners Brazil were eliminated in the round of 16.

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In the previous edition, USA finished second in the group but were eliminated by the Netherlands in the Round of 16. On the other hand, Paraguay’s last appearance at the tournament was in 2010, where it reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual winners Spain.

Who will be the referee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between USA and Paraguay?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup match between the USA and Paraguay will be officiated by Dutch referee Danny Makkelie.

Makkelie has been on the FIFA list since 2011. This will be the Dutchman’s second FIFA World Cup win, having officiated two group stage matches in the 2022 edition. He is mainly active in the Eredivisie and was also a referee in the UEFA Champions League in the 2025/26 season.

Throughout his career, Makkelie has been in charge of 779 matches in all competitions, handing out 2,508 yellow cards (3.21 per match) and 186 red cards (0.24 per match).

The 43-year-old has also refereed at the UEFA Euros in the 2021 and 2024 editions, as well as the 2021 and 2025 FIFA Club World Cups.

Complete list of referees/match officials for USA vs Paraguay

• Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)

• Assistant Referee 1: Hessel Steegstra (Netherlands)

• Assistant Referee 2: Jan De Vries (Netherlands)

• 4th official: Yusuke Araki (Japan)

• Reserve assistant referee: Jun Mihara (Japan)

• Video assistant referee: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (Spain)

• Assistant VAR: Dennis Higler (Netherlands)

• Support VAR: Khamis Almarri (Qatar)

Published on June 12, 2026