Alireza Faghani was in charge of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea at MetLife Stadium. | Photo Credit: AFP

France begins its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against Senegal in a Group I match at the New York New Jersey Stadium on June 16.

Australian referee Alireza Faghani will be the main official for the fixture and will be assisted by his compatriots George Lakrindis and James Lindsay.

Who is Alireza Faghani and what is his refereeing record?

Alireza Faghani is an Australian referee who was born in Kashmar, Iran. The 48-year-old is based in Sydney and has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2008.

Faghani is one of the most experienced officials at the FIFA World Cup 2026. He has previously refereed at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups and was also in charge of the men’s football final at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He was appointed referee for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea at MetLife Stadium.

Faghani has shown 1,589 yellow cards and 37 red cards in 439 matches, at an average of 3.62 yellow cards per game. Transfermarkt lists him as having overseen 22 matches in the 2025-26 season, issuing 86 yellow cards, one second yellow-red card and four penalties.

Full list of officials for France vs Senegal match on June 16:

• Main referee: Alireza Faghani, Australia
• Assistant referee 1: George Lakrindis, Australia
• Assistant referee 2: James Lindsay, Australia
• Fourth official: Sandro Schärer, Switzerland
• VAR: Abdullah Al-Shehri, Saudi Arabia

Published on Jun 16, 2026