Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs dropped from World Cup semifinals, earnings disclosed

FIFA’s referee appointments for the 2026 World Cup semifinals – France vs Spain and England vs Argentina – did not include Romanian official Istvan Kovacs. Kovacs, who has overseen two group‑stage matches (Tunisia – Japan 0‑4 and Jordan – Argentina 1‑3), was omitted from the list of officials for the knockout rounds.

Despite being left out of the semifinals, Kovacs received the standard $100,000 participation fee and $3,000 for each of the two matches he refereed, totaling $106,000. He remains in FIFA’s pool of referees eligible for any remaining assignments, though his chances of officiating the final are uncertain. Other European referees still in contention include Poland’s Szymon Marciniak, Sweden’s Glenn Nyberg, Italy’s Maurizio Mariani and others.

The decision leaves Kovacs hoping for a possible final‑match appointment, while his earnings reflect the compensation structure for World Cup officials.