Who will be the referee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 between Canada and Morocco?

Canada will face Morocco in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the match being held at Houston Stadium on Saturday.

Canada qualified for this stage after a 1-0 win over South Africa in the Round of 32. This is the team’s first appearance in this round. Morocco enter the Round of 16 after a penalty shootout victory over the Netherlands.

Canada and Morocco have faced each other once before at the FIFA World Cup, after being part of the same group in the 2022 edition. Morocco won that match 2-1, with goals from Hakim Ziyech and Youssef en-Nesyri.

Who will be the referee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between Canada and Morocco?

The match between Canada and Morocco in the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be officiated by English referee Michael Oliver.

Oliver made his debut in England’s fifth division, the National League, in September 2005. After a number of years refereeing various matches in the English second to fifth divisions, he made his Premier League debut in August 2010. In his first season itself, he became a regular in the competition, taking charge of sixteen top-flight matches. This was Oliver’s second FIFA World Cup, having taken charge of three matches during the 2022 edition.

This match will be the 41-year-old’s third assignment in this edition of the tournament, having taken charge of two group stage matches so far.

In his career to date, Oliver has been in charge of 812 matches in all competitions, handing out 2,655 yellow cards (average 3.27 per match) and 118 red cards (average 0.15 per match).

The Englishman has officiated at two FA Cup finals in his career and also refereed the 2022/2023 UEFA Super Cup.

Complete list of match officials for Canada vs Morocco

• Referee: Michael Oliver

• Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt

• Assistant referee 2: James Mainwaring

• 4th Official: Danny Makkelie

• Reserve assistant referee: Hessel Steegstra

Published on July 4, 2026