Who is Piero Maza, the referee for Brazil vs Argentina in 2026 World Cup qualifying?

Chile’s Piero Maza will be the referee at the Maracanã today, as South American giants Brazil and Argentina face off in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

Brazil, Argentina both out to get back on track

The Brazilians head into the game in a state of crisis, having lost back-to-back World Cup qualifiers for the first time in their history. Those two reverses - to Uruguay in October and Colombia on Thursday - have seen Fernando Diniz’s men slip to fifth in the standings in CONMEBOL’s qualifying tournament. The Seleção remain in the automatic qualification spots by a margin of just two points.

Meanwhile, world champions Argentina are top of the table, seven points ahead of Brazil, but also go into matchday six fresh from defeat. The Albiceleste were beaten 2-0 at home by Uruguay on Thursday.

Who is Piero Maza?

Maza made his top-flight debut in Chilean league soccer in 2013, and has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2018.

In addition to officiating in his native country, the 39-year-old is among the referees who have been signed up to oversee domestic games in Saudi Arabia. At the end of October, he refereed the Saudi King Cup tie between Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr and Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq - drawing the ire of both men.

After Al Nassr’s Talisca was sent off following a video review late in the first half, Ronaldo could be seen gesturing for Maza to be substituted. Al Ettifaq boss Gerrard, whose side also had a man sent off, wasn’t happy with the Chilean’s performance, either. Speaking after watching his team go down 1-0, Gerrard complained: “We didn’t lose to Al Nassr tonight, we lost to the referee.”

Maza has only been appointed to one previous World Cup qualifier, taking charge of Colombia and Uruguay’s 2-2 draw in mid-October. He was involved in a dramatic ending to the clash in Barranquilla, awarding the Uruguayans a late penalty when goalkeeper Camilo Vargas brought down Cristian Olivera. The Colombian was dismissed for a second bookable offence, and Darwin Núñez converted from the spot to earn the visitors a point.

Another notable international assignment on Maza’s CV is the 2022 Finalissima, which was contested by Argentina as Copa América holders, and Italy as European champions. It’s a game that holds fond memories for the Argentinians, who won 3-0 at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Maza carries personalised cards?!?

In a July Chilean league game between Universidad Católica and Coquimbo Unido, Maza raised eyebrows not because of his decision-making, but because of the unique set of cards he used. Close-ups revealed that their design had been customised by adding the FIFA logo, his name and an image of himself in action:

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Brazil vs Argentina: when, where, how to watch?

Brazil host Argentina at the Estádio Maracanã today, Tuesday 21 November 2023, with kick-off in Rio de Janeiro scheduled for 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT. TV viewers in the United States will be able to watch the match on Telemundo and Universo, and your streaming options include ViX and fuboTV.

Enjoy the game on fuboTV, which offers users a free trial.