How many referees and VAR officials will be present at 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup?


How many referees and VAR officials will be present at 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup?

Referees for the FIFA World Cup 2022

FIFA is pushing extremely hard to get things set for November 20 as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 draws near. One of these was the revelation of the officials selected to oversee the 64 future games of this championship.

Referees must undergo exams to ensure that only the most competent are selected to officiate during the competition, much as countries must go through a difficult and time-consuming qualification process to reach the elite group of nations that have participated in the FIFA World Cup.

YouTube video

Also Read: 2022 FIFA World Cup: Which all teams are participating?

FS Video

The job of the referees, who are tasked with upholding and implementing fairness, is perhaps the most thankless in all of the game. FIFA has already made known the individuals picked to uphold the laws and promote fair play during the 64 games of this competition in preparation for Qatar 2022.

How many officials will serve as referees in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup?

FIFA chose 129 match officials in total to officiate at Qatar 2022. There will be 24 video match officials, 69 assistant referees, and 36 central referees. The championship’s biggest historical surprise was the inclusion of 6 female referees for the very first time in the history of the competition, including 3 female central referees and 3 additional female assistance officials.

It should be mentioned that many of those selected to officiate in some of the 64 games that will be played in Qatar from November 20 to December 18, 2022, maybe the sole representatives of their country, as many of their National Sides failed to advance for this competition.

What is the history of VAR and how will it be used in the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022?

At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, VAR (Video Assistant Referee) was utilized for the very first session. After four years and innumerable headlines, it is apparent that VAR will not go away. Additionally, upgrades are coming. In Qatar, a staff of 24 video match officials (VMOs) will work to support and assist the on-field officials with crucial game-changing moments.

Since they will come from Asia, Africa, Central America, and North America instead of virtually solely from Europe and South America in 2018, the Video Match Officials are likewise more diverse. The World Cup will also include semi-automated offside technology, which means that those difficult offside decisions won’t need to be made by an Assistant Referee in a fraction of a second.

Why has refereeing been in the headlines over the past FIFA World Cups?

Among the most memorable World Cup episodes have revolved around refereeing calls, including Graham Poll’s 2006 decision to award Croatian Josip Simunic three yellow cards instead of a red and Zinedine Zidane’s red card in the World Cup Final. Getting sent off in the 2006 World Cup Final was Zinedine Zidane’s final scuffle as a football player.

There will be headlines yet again, but thanks to technology’s assistance and the officials’ rising expertise, there is optimism that the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be one where the men and women in charge can, at least, simply go about their duty in Qatar.

Read More: 5 players with the most number of hat tricks in FIFA World Cup

Read More: Is 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup going to be alcohol-free?