Who is Said Martínez, the referee for England vs Ghana at the 2026 World Cup?
Honduras’s Martínez has been selected to run the rule over today’s Group L matchup between England and Ghana at Gillette Stadium.
A history-making Honduran referee will take charge of England and Ghana’s 2026 World Cup clash tonight, as Group L’s frontrunners both bid to seal qualification for the knockout stages.
England and Ghana meet on matchday two in Foxborough, knowing a win will guarantee one of the group’s two automatic tickets to the last 32. Depending on the result of Group L’s other game - between Croatia and Panama in Toronto - victory could also secure top spot with a match to spare.
Last Wednesday, England kicked off their World Cup campaign with a 4-2 triumph over the Croats, while the Ghanaians began with a 1-0 win over Panama.
Who is Said Martínez?
At this summer’s tournament in North America, Martínez has become the first ever Honduran to be the lead referee in a men’s World Cup match. The 34-year-old made his debut as the man in the middle on June 13, when he oversaw Qatar’s 1-1 draw with Switzerland in Group B.
A FIFA international official since 2017, Martínez has been to a men’s World Cup before - but only as an assistant. In Qatar in 2022, he was the fourth official for nine games, including England’s last-16 victory over Senegal.
“I never imagined I’d be an international referee, a World Cup referee,” Martínez told an interview in the Honduran media in May. “But at the same time, I’ve always had faith that if something has been before, you can do it too; and if it hasn’t been done, you can be the first.”
Within the CONCACAF region - comprising North America, Central America and the Caribbean - Martínez has accrued major appointments at both club and international level.
A regular in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the confederation’s elite club competition, he refereed Seattle Sounders’ win over Pumas in the 2021 final. In national-team soccer, meanwhile, Martínez’s notable games include the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup final and 2023 CONCACAF Nations League final, which witnessed U.S. victories over Mexico and Canada, respectively.
England vs Ghana: full list of match officials
- Referee: Said Martínez, Honduras
- Assistant referee 1: Walter López, Honduras
- Assistant referee 2: Christian Ramírez, Honduras
- Fourth official: Ning Ma, China
- Reserve assistant referee: Fei Zhou, China
- Video assistant referee (VAR): Guillermo Pacheco, Mexico
England vs Ghana: kickoff times, how to watch in the U.S.
- Time: 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT
- Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- TV/stream: FOX Network, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, FOX One, fubo
2026 World Cup Group L - as it stands:
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