▲ Referee list for the Korea-South Africa match
The referee who officiated the match against Portugal four years ago, where South Korea secured a spot in the Round of 16 at the Qatar World Cup, has been assigned to lead the final group stage match against South Africa at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.
FIFA announced the referee list today (June 22) for the Group A third match between South Korea and South Africa, which will be held at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico on June 25.
Facundo Tello from Argentina will serve as the head referee for this match.
Referee Tello was the official in charge of the Group H third match between South Korea and Portugal at the Qatar World Cup, held in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on December 3, 2022.
In that match, South Korea conceded an early goal but secured a 2-1 comeback victory with consecutive goals from Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan) in the 27th minute of the first half and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) in stoppage time of the second half, confirming the team's first away World Cup Round of 16 appearance in 12 years.
During that game, two yellow cards were issued to South Korean players, Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) and Hwang Hee-chan.
Referee Tello has been active in the Argentine Primera División since 2013 and has served as an international referee since 2019.
He gained significant attention just before the Qatar World Cup for issuing a total of 10 red cards during the final of the Argentine cup competition, the 'Trofeo de Campeones'.
In this World Cup, he previously officiated the Group B match between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina held in Toronto, Canada, on June 13.
In that match, three yellow cards were given to Bosnia and two to Canada.
The assistant referees for the Korea-South Africa match will be Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade, both from Argentina, like Tello.
Chade also served as an assistant referee during the Korea-Portugal match at the Qatar World Cup.
The fourth official is Andrés Rojas from Colombia, and the reserve assistant referee is Alexander Guzmán, also from Colombia.
Hong Myung-bo's squad, currently second in Group A (3 points) after defeating the Czech Republic 2-1 in their first match and losing 0-1 to co-host Mexico in the second, only needs a draw against South Africa in the third match to secure a spot in the Round of 32.
(Photo: FIFA X capture, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.