An Australian whistle tunes the match between the UAE and Oman in the World Cup playoff

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has revealed the refereeing team that will manage the upcoming confrontation between the UAE and Oman national teams, within the second round of the Asian playoff qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup finals, which is scheduled to be held next Saturday, at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, in Doha.

The match will be managed by an Australian crew led by international referee Ali Reza Faghani, assisted by George Lakrinidis and James Lidense, while the VAR technology is supervised by Shaun Evans, with the assistance of Alexander King.

The first round of the playoff witnessed the teams of Oman and Qatar tied without goals in the match that brought them together on Wednesday evening, temporarily sharing the lead in Group A, awaiting the outcome of the “White” confrontation against the Omani “Red”, which carries great importance in shaping the features of the competition for the qualification ticket to the World Cup.