Malaysian referee Nazmi Nasaruddin has missed the opportunity to officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after his name was absent from the final list of match officials released by FIFA.
The world football governing body unveiled the selected referees, assistant referees, and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) officials who will oversee matches at the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by United States, Canada, and Mexico from 11 June – 19 July 2026.
A total of 52 referees, including six women, were chosen for the tournament, alongside 88 assistant referees and 30 VAR officials representing six football confederations and 50 member associations.
Despite previously being considered among Malaysia’s strongest candidates, Nazmi ultimately did not make the final selection, and no ASEAN referee was selected either.
His omission from the final list means Malaysia will continue to wait for another referee to follow in the footsteps of Subkhiddin Salleh.
Subkhiddin remains the only Malaysian referee to officiate at a FIFA World Cup, having served as the fourth official for 2 matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
The 2026 edition will be the largest World Cup in history, expanding to 48 teams and 104 matches, a significant increase from the 32 teams and 64 matches featured at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
The inclusion of six female referees in the final list also continues FIFA’s push toward greater representation, following similar appointments in the previous World Cup.
Credit Photo : HongZheng Lim/SNE-Photo
