Alireza Faghani referee for England’s World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico at Azteca Stadium on Sunday night. The 48-year-old will oversee a knockout match that carries immediate weight for both sides, with kick-off set for 1pm BST on Monday, 6 July.
Faghani and England
Faghani is in his third Fifa World Cup this summer. He has already handled four matches in Russia in 2018, including France’s 4-3 win over Argentina in the last-16, England’s defeat to Belgium in the third-place play-off, and Mexico’s 1-0 win over Germany.
He also took charge of two group-stage matches at the last World Cup in Qatar. Across major tournaments, that record puts him back into a match where every decision will be inspected from the first whistle.
Australia and Iran
The referee migrated from Iran in 2019 and has been officiating under the Australian flag since 2023. He also handled the 2016 Olympic men’s gold medal match and last year’s Club World Cup final between Chelsea and PSG.
That background explains why Fifa has put him on another high-profile assignment, but it also means the scrutiny will be immediate. England and Mexico are not getting a fresh face; they are getting a referee with a long international paper trail.
VAR and France
His selection comes after a summer of attention over a penalty decision in France’s opening game against Senegal. A VAR review showed contact on Kylian Mbappe, but Faghani did not give France a penalty.
For England and Mexico, the officials around him are George Lakrindis and Andrew Lindsay as assistant referees, with Zakaria Brinsi as reserve assistant referee. Nicolas Gallo is the Video Assistant Referee, while Juan Lara and Juan Soto are the Assistant Video Assistant Referees.
One will show the match live, with streaming available on iPlayer and Sport, and coverage starts at midnight. Faghani’s appointment puts an experienced referee in front of one of the tournament’s sharpest knockout fixtures, and the first questions will come before the teams do.
