The countdown to the start of the 2026 World Cup has already begun. Alongside the 48 national teams that have secured their participation, the 52 referees appointed by FIFA to officiate matches in the great football festival in Mexico, the United States, and Canada are also preparing intensively. The world football governing body has announced that its “selected whistles” will take part in a 10-day preparation camp in Miami, a first in history.
Novibet’s blog has researched and gathered the key characteristics of the tournament’s referees so you know what to expect. Who is the most card-happy referee, the most penalty-prone, and the one whose matches see over 2.5 goals in more than 60% of cases?
You can also explore the 2026 World Cup Schedule and the 2026 World Cup Opening Ceremony program to stay fully prepared for all the action with World Cup 2026 betting!
Yellow cards
Latin American referees dominate the list for the highest average number of yellow cards per match throughout their careers. Notably, 15 of the 19 referees with the highest yellow-card averages come from Central and South American football federations.
At the top of this list is Colombian referee Andrés Rojas, averaging 5.53 yellow cards per match, followed by Spain’s Alejandro Hernández (5.41) and, as an exception to the pattern, Romania’s István Kovács (5.24).
On the other end of the spectrum, European referees generally show fewer yellow cards per game. However, Japan’s Yusuke Araki leads overall with just 3.03 yellow cards per match. He is followed by Sweden’s Glenn Nyberg (3.08), France’s Clément Turpin (3.20), the Netherlands’ Danny Makkelie (3.22), and Norway’s Espen Eskås (3.24).
Red cards
A similar pattern appears in dismissals (either via second yellow or direct red card). The top six referees in this category come from the Americas.
The strictest is Argentina’s Facundo Tello, averaging 0.42 dismissals per match. He is followed by Rojas (0.38), Uruguay’s Gustavo Tejera (0.38), Peru’s Kevin Ortega (0.37), and El Salvador’s Iván Barton (0.36).
The referee with the fewest dismissals is Norway’s Espen Eskås (0.12). Close behind are Sweden’s Glenn Nyberg (0.13), USA’s Tori Penso (0.13), and Japan’s Yusuke Araki (0.13).
Total cards
Colombian referee Andrés Rojas, who ranks first in yellow cards and second in red cards, also tops the overall list for total cards per match (5.91). Spain’s Hernández (5.76) and Argentina’s Tello (5.60) complete the top three strictest referees.
At the other end, Japan’s Araki (3.16 total cards per match) is the most lenient, followed by Sweden’s Nyberg (3.21) and Norway’s Eskås (3.36).
Penalties
There is no dominant confederation in this category. The referee who awards the most penalties is Peru’s Kevin Ortega (0.47 per match). Close behind are Qatar’s Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (0.44), Morocco’s Jalal Jayed (0.43), and Omar Al Ali from the United Arab Emirates (0.43).
On the other hand, Sweden’s Nyberg awards penalties least frequently (0.18 per match). Relatively low averages are also recorded by Slovenia’s Slavko Vinčić (0.23), Brazil’s Ramon Abatti (0.25), and Argentina’s Yael Falcón (0.27).
Over/Under 2.5 Goals
An “exotic” leader emerges in the over 2.5 goals category. The referee with the highest percentage is New Zealand’s Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh, with 62.4% of his matches ending in over 2.5 goals. He is followed by Switzerland’s Sandro Schärer (61%) and the Netherlands’ Danny Makkelie (60.9%).
At the other end, South Africa’s Tom Abongile has the highest Under 2.5 rate at 64.9%. Argentina’s Tello records the same percentage, while Somalia’s Omar Abdulkadir Artan follows with 60.4%.
*All statistics refer to each referee’s entire career across all competitions, up to 21 April 2026.
