50 days in the USA, a World Championship medal – and the bags are still standing in the corridor. Bastian Danckert (46 years old) from Rostock was the video referee at the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina (1:0 present). Now he is back in Germany. His wife welcomed him with a surprise party. The adrenaline was pumping again, even though he was dead tired.
Danckert celebrated his World Championship medal with family, friends and comrades. A German referee told the German Press Agency: “And when I see this medal, it says ‘Spain vs Argentina.’ World Cup final: Then I slowly think about: What have I really accomplished in the last few days?”
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“It was just your name.”
He found out about his nomination on Thursday before the final. The teams were announced via video conference – referees in Miami, video assistants in Dallas. The first to arrive was Slavko Vincic and his team. Then a video of the judges. Dankert on the moment he was nominated: “It’s a wonderful feeling. At this point everything boils over and you think: “It was just your name. And you’re at the World Cup final!”
Daily life in VM was strictly planned. The quarters are in Irving near Dallas, the judges are in Miami. Game every two or at the latest three days. “And even when we weren’t personally involved in combat, we had to analyze all the other games,” Danckert explains. Meeting every morning at 10:00 or 10:30. There was also training.
The facility had its own training ground, tennis courts and an air-conditioned gym. At times it was 40 to 45 degrees in Dallas. “But we could exercise every day,” says the video referee. Tennis, pickleball, table tennis tournaments—the community did a lot of things together. Advantage: 80 to 85 percent of the team already knew each other from the 2025 Club World Cup.
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Referees are also provided with match analytics. Tactical features, key players, game systems – everything is discussed. What happens if someone is removed? How do players behave during corners and free kicks? Thank you: “Everything is discussed, so you feel very well prepared for this ending.”
Challenge: Once the schedule is drawn up, ignore the fact that it is a World Cup final. Dankert: “Our boss just told us: the red team plays against the blue and white team. And that simplifies a lot of things.”
There were many so-called “silent checks” where scenes were checked in the background without interrupting the game. Duels that were again tested for possible violence. Or Spain’s goal, which was rightly disallowed. Dankert: “For example, we were also able to support the referee that he was right and that he should continue to be brave and strict.” Dankert emphasizes: “As an outside observer, you can’t even imagine the stress the referee is under in a game like this. This is about a world title, not a village tournament.”