The English referees Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor will not be able to officiate any match involving the Argentine national team in the 2026 World Cup, despite being among the tournament's top referees, due to political and geopolitical considerations linked to the legacy of the Falklands War.

According to The Athletic, Oliver will officiate the match between Spain and Belgium in the quarter-finals, making it his seventh match in the tournament, the most matches ever officiated by an English referee in a single World Cup. However, his chances of leading the final match appear very slim.

This is because FIFA regulations prevent referees from officiating matches of their own national teams, to maintain neutrality and avoid conflicts of interest. But for English referees, the ban also extends to matches involving Argentina due to the historical dispute between the two countries over the Falkland Islands.

The Legacy of the Falklands War

The Falklands War broke out in 1982 and lasted 74 days between the United Kingdom and Argentina, ending with the surrender of Argentine forces and the return of the islands to British control.

The war left 649 Argentine soldiers and 255 British soldiers dead, in addition to three islanders. The issue remains a sensitive file in Argentina, where President Javier Milei continually reaffirms his country's sovereignty over the islands.

How does FIFA select referees?

The International Football Association (FIFA) appoints referees for each match separately, taking into account a number of factors, including geopolitical considerations.

Under this policy, a referee from a country that has political or historical disputes with another country is not assigned to officiate a match involving that team, to avoid any suspicion of bias or conflict of interest.

It is not limited to England and Argentina; the same rule could apply to other disputes, such as not assigning matches involving Iran to referees from the United States, or vice versa.

Not just national team matches

These criteria also extend to matches that could directly affect the progress of the referee's own team in the tournament.

For this reason, English referees were not candidates to officiate any match in England's group during the group stage, and they will also not be candidates to officiate the Switzerland-Argentina match in the quarter-finals, because the winner could face England in the semi-finals if Norway is overcome.

The same principle applies to club competitions

The same idea applies in club competitions. In the English Premier League, referees are prohibited from officiating matches of clubs to whose regions they belong or with which they have ties that could raise suspicions.

For this reason, Michael Oliver does not officiate matches of Newcastle United or Sunderland, because he comes from the northeast of England.

The final decision

The appointment of referees is supervised by a team led by Pierluigi Collina, who has the final say in selecting refereeing crews for each match, taking into account technical, geographical and political aspects to ensure the highest levels of integrity and neutrality in the tournament.