Polish referee Szymon Marciniak left out of World Cup 2026 quarter‑final assignments

FIFA announced the officials for the round‑of‑16 matches at the 2026 World Cup, naming Francois Letexier for Argentina‑Egypt and Ivan Barton for Switzerland‑Colombia. Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, who has so far overseen only two group‑stage games (Argentina‑Algeria and Egypt‑Iran), was not selected, marking a second omission after being excluded from the round‑of‑16.

Earlier commentary highlighted Marciniak’s strong performance in the group stage and the possibility that FIFA could assign him to later knockout matches, including a potential quarter‑final. He is the only Polish referee on the tournament list and previously officiated the 2022 final. The 2026 tournament is being hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada.