Italy will not participate in the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. However, the country will still be represented on the field. FIFA announced on Wednesday the list of 52 referees selected for the tournament, and an Italian, Maurizio Mariani, has made the cut. Mariani, hailing from Aprilia, has been an international referee since 2019 and was promoted to UEFA Elite status this year.
Mariani will not be the only Italian representative. Marco Di Bello has been chosen among the 30 VAR operators, while Daniele Bindoni and Alberto Tegoni have been selected as assistant referees. It is a strong Italian delegation, despite the absence of the National team.
The 52 referees will gather in Miami from May 31 for a ten-day seminar. This will be an opportunity to prepare for the new measures approved by IFAB last February, including rules aimed at speeding up the pace of the game and modifications to the VAR protocol, which will be implemented for the first time at this World Cup.
Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief referee, expressed confidence in the selected officials, stating, “The selected officials are the best in the world. They were part of a larger group of referees identified and monitored over the past three years. Each of them must be ready to be appointed for a match and actively contribute to the success of refereeing at this World Cup.”
Collina also mentioned the planned technological innovations, saying, “Technology will play a fundamental role. For the first time in World Cup history, fans will be able to see the action from the referee’s perspective on the field thanks to new technologies.”
Other notable names on the list include Anthony Taylor, Clément Turpin, François Letexier, Szymon Marciniak, and Danny Makkelie.
