Szymon Marciniak will not referee a World Cup quarter-final after FIFA completed its appointments for the last eight without selecting the experienced Polish official.
Marciniak has taken charge of two matches during the tournament, both in the group stage, but has not received another assignment since overseeing Egypt’s 1-1 draw with Iran on June 27.
The 45-year-old was subsequently overlooked for the round of 32 and round of 16 before once again being left out of the quarter-final appointments.
His continued absence is notable given his status as one of European football’s most experienced referees and his role in charge of the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France.
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Two group-stage appearances
Marciniak began his tournament by overseeing Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria.
The match attracted controversy after the Algerian Football Federation complained about his decision not to send off Lionel Messi for a challenge on Aïssa Mandi.
Marciniak later took charge of Egypt’s 1-1 draw with Iran, a match in which he received far less criticism.
According to Łukasz Witczyk’s earlier report for WP SportoweFakty, FIFA then passed over the Polish referee when appointing officials for the opening knockout matches.
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Marciniak has now been absent from three consecutive rounds of appointments, despite remaining part of the refereeing group at the tournament.
Turpin and Pinheiro receive key matches
France’s Facundo Tello took charge of the opening quarter-final between France and Morocco, while English referee Michael Oliver was appointed for Spain against Belgium.
FIFA subsequently confirmed the officials for the remaining two matches.
As listed by Refereeing World in its quarter-final appointments, French official Clément Turpin will referee Norway’s meeting with England.
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Turpin will be assisted by compatriots Nicolas Danos and Benjamin Pagès, while Spain’s Alejandro Hernández Hernández will serve as the fourth official.
Portuguese referee João Pinheiro has been appointed for Argentina’s quarter-final against Switzerland. Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia will work as his assistant referees, with Canada’s Drew Fischer acting as the fourth official.
The appointments mean that none of the four quarter-finals have been assigned to Marciniak or his Polish refereeing team.
Tournament may not be over
Marciniak’s omission from the last eight does not confirm that he has been released from the tournament.
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He could still be considered for one of the two semi-finals, the third-place play-off or the final.
Any further appointment would represent the eighth World Cup match of his career.
Marciniak refereed two matches at the 2018 tournament in Russia before receiving three assignments in Qatar four years later, including the final between Argentina and France.
He has added another two appearances in 2026, although his prospects of taking charge of a second consecutive World Cup final appear limited.
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FIFA traditionally considers several factors when making late-stage appointments, including previous performances, nationalities and the teams remaining in the competition.
Final appointment appears unlikely
Marciniak has previously admitted that receiving another World Cup final would be extremely difficult after his appointment in Qatar.
No referee has taken charge of two men’s World Cup finals, and FIFA has a large group of experienced officials still available for the closing stages.
His Polish assistant referees, Tomasz Listkiewicz and Adam Kupsik, also remain without a knockout-stage assignment alongside him.
Tomasz Kwiatkowski, who was selected separately as a video match official, has continued to receive VAR duties during the competition.
Marciniak must now wait for FIFA’s semi-final appointments to discover whether his quiet tournament will continue or whether he will be handed one final major assignment.
