As 48 nations battled for World Cup glory, another group endured a similarly grueling path to soccer’s biggest stage: the referees.

This year, 52 referees, 88 assistant referees and 30 video assistant referees (VARs) were selected. The 170-strong contingent is the largest in World Cup history, with the expanded format now featuring a record 48 teams and 104 matches. The VAR technology was introduced in 2018. Before that, all offenses were judged in real time, by the naked eye — a standard that largely still holds today, albeit with the possibility of review.

The officials come from 50 FIFA member nations across all continental confederations. Among them are also six women, following FIFA’s historic move to include female referees at the last edition in Qatar.

It’s a role that has been unexpectedly thrust into the limelight. A Somali referee slated for the showpiece was denied entry to the U.S. due to “vetting concerns.” A record three red cards were brandished in the opening game.

The selection process for this World Cup began immediately after Qatar 2022.

Candidates were required to attend seminars, undergo fitness tests and have prior FIFA tournament experience. Their performances in domestic and international competitions were also monitored over the past three years, before a committee finalized the lineup.

“In every important match ahead of the World Cup, we have one or two observers,” former assistant referee Renato Faverani said, adding referees at the elite level are assigned to the same officiating teams across international games and assessed as a group.

“Afterwards, you receive an evaluation, which is then compared with other referee teams,” says the Italian, who worked four matches at the 2014 World Cup.

Once chosen for a World Cup, referees are appointed three to four days before each game, based on their form. FIFA also bars officials from taking charge of matches involving their own country to avoid conflicts of interest, leaving no predetermined list of candidates for the knockout stage.

What fans often don’t realize is how the process begins days before kickoff. Aside from daily physical training, including long runs and gym workouts, referees attend lectures and study in detail the teams they are due to officiate.

“It is vital to understand a team’s defensive tactics and players’ characteristics,” Faverani said. The Italian reviewed hours of footage from previous matches involving the squads he was due to ref and consulted colleagues who had already officiated them, seeking advice and aiming to avoid repeating past mistakes.

当48支球队为本届世界杯荣耀激战正酣时，另一群人同样经历着通往足球最高殿堂的艰辛历程——他们就是裁判。

本届世界杯共选派了52名主裁判、88名助理裁判和30名视频助理裁判，总计170人，创下世界杯历史之最。这得益于赛事扩军至48支球队、104场比赛的庞大规模。VAR技术于2018年首次引入，在此之前，所有犯规均由裁判肉眼实时判断 —— 这一标准如今大体仍存，只不过多了回看复核的可能。

这些裁判员来自50个国际足联成员协会，覆盖各大洲足联。其中还有6名女性裁判，延续了上届卡塔尔世界杯国际足联历史性地纳入女裁判的传统。

裁判角色在本届赛事中意外成为焦点。一位原定执裁的索马里裁判因“审查顾虑”被拒绝入境美国；揭幕战更是出现了创纪录的三张红牌。

本届世界杯的选拔工作在上届卡塔尔世界杯结束后便立即启动。候选人必须参加研讨会、通过体能测试，并具备国际足联赛事执裁经验。过去三年间，他们在国内和国际比赛中的表现也受到持续跟踪监测，最终由委员会确定大名单。

前助理裁判雷纳托·法韦拉尼回忆道：“在世界杯前的每一场重要比赛中，都会有一到两名观察员在场。”他补充说，顶级裁判在国际赛事中被编入固定的裁判团队，并接受整体评估。

“赛后你会收到评估报告，然后与其他裁判团队进行比较，”这位曾执裁2014年世界杯四场比赛的意大利人说。

一旦入选世界杯，裁判员会在每场比赛前三到四天根据状态被指派任务。国际足联还规定，裁判不得执裁涉及自己国家的比赛，以避免利益冲突，因此淘汰赛阶段并无预定候选名单。

球迷们往往不了解的是，裁判的工作早在开球前数天就已开始。除了每日体能训练（包括长跑和健身房锻炼），裁判还要参加讲座，并深入研究即将执裁的球队。

“了解球队的防守战术和球员特点至关重要，”法韦拉尼说。这位意大利人会反复观看自己将执裁球队的过往比赛录像，并向已执裁过这些球队的同事请教，寻求建议，力求避免重蹈覆辙。 (Translated by DeepSeek)