ZAPOPAN, MEXICO – JUNE 23: Referee Maurizio Mariani gestures during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group K match between Colombia and Democratic Republic of the Congo at Guadalajara Stadium on June 23, 2026 in Zapopan, Mexico. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Italian referee Maurizio Mariani is the favorite to referee the 2026 World Cup final, but pundit Mark Clattenburg claims the decision “will upset a lot of people”.
The Azzurri missed out on competitions in the United States, Canada and Mexico, but sent a team of officials led by Mariani.
Premier League refereeing expert Clattenburg appeared on the Daily Mail’s Whistleblower podcast and claimed the biggest job in world football is likely to go to Mariani.
Mariani set to play in 2026 World Cup finals
The 44-year-old has already officiated the 2025-26 Conference League final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano, as well as the 2025 Under-20 World Cup final, where Morocco defeated Argentina.
This World Cup, Mariani whistled in Saudi Arabia’s draw with Uruguay, Colombia’s win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and most notably Brazil’s win over Japan in the Round of 32.
However, Clattenburg insists this would be a controversial choice as the Italian has already hosted three World Cup finals since 1978.
Although Italians are highly critical of their referees, they are still considered to be the best in the industry, as evidenced by Pierluigi Collina’s role as president of the FIFA Referees Commission and Roberto Rosetti’s equal status with UEFA.
“I’m hearing again that it might be an Italian referee,” Clattenburg said on the podcast.
“Italian in Infantino, Italian in Collina. Most of the power in refereeing and the wider world of football is Italian.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is from Switzerland, but this is not true as his parents are indeed of Italian descent.
“FIFA needs to keep everyone happy in all six federations. If you look, in 2010 the referee was British, in 2014 it was Italian, in 2018 it was Argentine and in 2022 it was Polish. If it becomes Italian again, does that mean there will be no referees other than Italians?” Clattenburg added.
“If an Italian referee gets another chance this year, it would be a big shock for me, keeping in mind what happened with FIFA in this tournament.”
Another problem, of course, is that the referees at the final stage are not from the countries competing for the trophy. Therefore, with Italy failing to qualify, they would be the obvious choice to play in the final.
Clattenburg, who refereed the Euro 2016 final, added: “If there was another Italian referee, a lot of people would be upset.”
“I’m not saying the Italians aren’t qualified to do it, but there are so many talented referees who can officiate that game.”
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