FIFA has appointed Portuguese referee, João Pinheiro, to officiate the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and Switzerland on Saturday, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
The match will be played at Kansas City Stadium on July 11, with Pinheiro leading an all-Portuguese on-field officiating team. He will be assisted by Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia, while Canada’s Drew Fischer has been named fourth official.
The appointment has attracted attention because of Pinheiro’s recent record in major international competitions.
The Portuguese official came under scrutiny during last season’s UEFA Champions League semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich after he did not award Bayern a penalty for an alleged handball by João Neves inside the penalty area. The incident remained controversial after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) did not ask Pinheiro to review the decision.
Pinheiro has already officiated two matches at the 2026 World Cup. He handled Switzerland’s 4-1 group-stage victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, issuing three yellow cards and a straight red card to Tarik Mehremović.
He also took charge of the Round of 16 fixture between Canada and South Africa, where he showed only two yellow cards.
Saturday’s fixture will be Pinheiro’s first match involving Argentina at this tournament, while Switzerland will play under his supervision for the second time.
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Argentina reached the quarter-finals after coming from behind to beat Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16. The defending champions are led by Lionel Messi, who has scored eight goals at the tournament, with support from Julián Álvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández and Cristian Romero.
Switzerland secured their place in the last eight by eliminating Colombia. Murat Yakin’s side will look to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time, relying on the experience of Granit Xhaka, Manuel Akanji and goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
With a semi-final place on the line, Pinheiro’s decisions are expected to come under close scrutiny as Argentina and Switzerland battle for a place in the final four.
