A fierce rivalry has emerged between France and Argentina since the 2022 World Cup final, fueled by Dibu Martínez’s celebratory mocking of Kylian Mbappé after Argentina’s victory. Mbappé ended up on the losing side despite scoring a hat trick in one of the greatest finals in tournament history.

As a result, the appointment of an all-Argentine refereeing team for France’s 2026 World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco has raised eyebrows in the French media and among Les Bleus fans.

Facundo Tello will be the man in the middle in Boston on Thursday, supported by two Argentine assistant referees, an Argentine fourth official and an Argentine VAR team.

FIFA’s referee rules explain the controversial appointment

Leaving the lingering bitterness between the two countries aside, Argentina, like France and Morocco, are still in contention to win this World Cup, which has led some to question whether there could be a potential conflict of interest.

However, FIFA has not deviated from its usual approach when making this particular appointment.

For matches between teams from different confederations at the World Cup, FIFA assigns officials from a third confederation. That is the case for France vs. Morocco. Although it is slightly unusual for the entire officiating team to come from the same country, it is certainly not unprecedented.

In matches between teams from the same continent, FIFA has consistently appointed referees from that continent’s confederation. For example, England’s Michael Oliver will take charge of Spain’s quarterfinal against Belgium on Friday.

Why an Argentine can still referee France’s quarterfinal

FIFA’s referee selection criteria do, however, prevent officials from working on matches that could directly impact their own nation’s potential future opponents.

Although this would not have happened anyway because both countries are UEFA members, neither a Spanish nor Belgian referee could take charge of France vs. Morocco because the winner will face either Spain or Belgium in the semifinal.

This restriction applies to teams on the same side of the bracket, but not to possible opponents in the final. Since France or Morocco and Argentina cannot meet until the final, Tello was eligible to be selected for the quarterfinal.

Ironically, Frenchman François Letexier was the referee for Argentina’s 3-2 win over Egypt in the round of 16, with officials from France and Norway, two countries still alive in the competition, assisting him.

Even more ironically, Egypt have filed a complaint with FIFA over Letexier and his team’s performance, claiming they favored Argentina and cost them the game.

Some referees face additional restrictions

Beyond avoiding matches involving teams on their own side of the bracket, some referees are also prohibited from officiating certain games because of geopolitical sensitivities.

English referees, for instance, are never assigned to Argentina matches because of the historical tensions surrounding the Falklands War. Meanwhile, American referees are not assigned to games involving Iran, and Iranian referees are not assigned to games involving the United States, for obvious reasons.

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