Experienced Premier League referees are in the US for this summer’s World Cup but will not be expected to oversee any matches involving Lionel Scaloni’s side.
13:46, 10 Jul 2026Updated 13:46, 10 Jul 2026
Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor are English referees for the World Cup final but are banned from officiating any games in Argentina.
FIFA has confirmed that English referees Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor will not be able to officiate any matches against Argentina at this year’s World Cup due to the Falklands War, which took place 44 years ago.
Of course, when appointing a referee for a match, a number of factors are taken into account, the most important factor being the teamwork of the referee along with his two assistants.
This core element is an ongoing monitoring process overseen by the FIFA Referees Committee, chaired by former World Cup final referee Pierluigi Collina.
Indeed, a referee clearly cannot serve his country, and he also cannot be assigned to a game that has direct consequences for his home country in the tournament.
For example, neither Oliver nor Taylor would be allowed to officiate any group stage games in England’s Group L, even if the game did not involve the Three Lions – for example, Ghana v Panama.
In addition, the English referee will also be banned from refereeing Argentina v Switzerland this weekend as his decisions could directly affect England’s potential semi-final opponents if Thomas Tuchel’s side lose.
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Pierluigi Collina oversees the FIFA refereeing committee, which is responsible for appointing officials at the World Cup.
However, this rule does not apply to the next round of matches, so the official Argentina squad was allowed to oversee France’s 2-0 quarter-final win over Morocco, despite Argentina being a potential opponent in the final.
However, there are other geopolitical factors that influence the appointment of match officials. FIFA is, of course, keenly aware of political situations and prefers to use common sense when selecting a referee.
The source described the process as “pretty smooth”, with no hard and fast rules applying to the proceedings.
Despite this, a FIFA spokesman confirmed that the 1982 Falklands War was a factor in the appointment of a referee. Therefore, an English official will not be allowed to officiate a game against Argentina or a game that has direct consequences for Argentina, and vice versa.
Michael Oliver is officiating at this World Cup alongside compatriot Anthony Taylor (Image: Javier Garcia/Shutterstock)
Mirror football In 2022, it was reported that Taylor and Oliver were denied the opportunity to referee the 2022 World Cup final due to Argentina’s participation, with a high likelihood of this scenario repeating due to England and Argentina being in the same half of the draw for the summer version of the tournament.
The Falklands War is still considered a politically sensitive topic, although World War II conflicts are not, however, a factor. The war was also mentioned by Argentina’s players when they sang a song called “Muchachos” in the dressing room after the quarter-final win over Egypt.
Despite FIFA’s strict rules on political expression in stadiums, Argentina should not be prosecuted for playing this song.
As the 2026 World Cup enters its final stages, control over referee appointments is likely to tighten, but FIFA has left no doubt that Taylor and Oliver will not be considered for any matches against Argentina.