Marciniak was in charge of the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, in which Argentina defeated France on penalties. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Marciniak was in charge of the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, in which Argentina defeated France on penalties. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Defending champions Argentina are set to begin its title defence against Algeria, in the first match of FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J.
This will be Argentina’s eighteenth tournament appearance, and third tournament where it comes in as defending champions. Algeria will be playing its fourth-ever FIFA World Cup, last qualifying for the 2014 edition. That tournament was also its best-ever finish, finishing second in its group and qualifying for the Round of 16, but losing to eventual champions Germany after extra time.
The Argentina vs Algeria FIFA World Cup 2026 match will be officiated by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak.
Marciniak made his debut in the Polish second division in 2008 and has been a full FIFA international referee since 2011. This will be his third FIFA World Cup, refereeing two games in 2018 and three games in 2022. Most notably, Marciniak was in charge of the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, in which Argentina defeated France on penalties. He regularly officiates the Polish top division and the UEFA Champions League.
Throughout his career, Marciniak has refereed 712 games in all competitions. He has issued 2894 yellow cards (average 4.06 per game), and 161 red cards (average 0.22 per game).
Marciniak has also refereed the 2018 UEFA Super Cup between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, and the 2023 UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan. The 45-year-old was also named the World’s Best Referee for 2022 and 2023 by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS)
Published on Jun 16, 2026
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