Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published on Thursday, 09 April 2026, 19:00 / Updated on Thursday, 09 April 2026 19:01
Just a day after leading from the center the match lost by Barcelona to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the “quarters” of the Champions League, score 0-2, performance for which he was harshly criticized by the CatalansIstvan Kovacs has received huge news from FIFA: he will be refereeing this summer's World Cup.
According to the press release from FIFA, together with Istvan Kovacs, assistants Mihai Marica and Ferencz Tunyogi will go to the final tournament in the United States of America.
Istvan Kovacs will go to the World Championship in 2026
With extensive experience at the level of European competitions, where he refereed finals in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, Istvan Kovacs appears on the list published by FIFA of the “whistleblowers” for this year's World Cup.
The decision comes just a day after Kovacs was “at the center” in Barcelona's 0-2 loss to Atletico Madrid in the “quarters” of the Champions League.
At the end of the first half, Istvan Kovacs gave a yellow card to Pau Cubarsi for a foul committed in the position of the last defender, but changed his decision after being called to the VAR monitor. Afterwards, the Romanian referee directly eliminated the Barcelona defender.
The Catalans have also challenged several decisions by Istvan Kovacs, who has also been heavily criticized by Itturalde Gonzalez, a former top referee in La Liga and Europe.
Istvan Kovacs was also present at the World Championship in Qatar, played in 2022, but was never delegated to the “center”, being used only as a reserve referee.
Meanwhile, Kovacs has gained more experience in major competitions, with a Champions League final, a Europa League final and a Conference League final to his name.
The selected match officials are the best in the world. They were part of a larger group of officials identified and monitored over the past three years. They attended seminars and refereed at FIFA tournaments. In addition, their performances in domestic and international matches were regularly evaluated.
Selected officials have received and will continue to receive comprehensive support from our fitness trainers and medical staff, including physiotherapists and a psychiatric specialist. Our goal is to make sure they are in optimal physical and mental condition when they arrive in Miami on May 31st.
– Pierluigi CollinaFIFA's head of referees
