World Championship Qualifiers: Which referees will officiate Uzbekistan's matches against the UAE and Qatar?
The official referees for one of the crucial matches on the road to the 2026 World Cup — the games of the Uzbekistan national team against the UAE and Qatar in June — have been announced. These matches are of decisive importance in the 3rd qualifying round of the World Cup.
UAE – Uzbekistan: under the supervision of Australian referees
In the match between UAE and Uzbekistan on June 7, the experienced Australian referee Sean Evans will take on the responsibility of officiating. He will be assisted by his compatriots — assistant referees George Lakrindis and Ouyen Goldrick.
The technical supervisor will be Jonathan Barreyro, and in the VAR system, the newly trained Alexander King will operate. Australian referees are known for their experience in international matches in Asia and have been deemed reliable by the AFC.
Uzbekistan – Qatar: a match under the responsibility of Chinese referees
The important match — Uzbekistan vs Qatar, which will take place on June 11 at the "National Stadium" in Tashkent, has been assigned to a team of Chinese referees. The main referee will be Ma Ning.
He will be assisted by reliable assistants Joe Fei and Zhang Cheng. The reserve referee is Jin Jingyuan, and in VAR, one of China's chief VAR specialists, Fu Ming, will operate.
The matches are of decisive importance
Both matches will serve as important tests for the Uzbekistan national team. To reach the final of the Super Qualifying Round, Mirjalol Qosimov's team will need to fight for every point.
The selection of referees is made based on the requirements of FIFA and AFC, from among highly qualified specialists, and special attention is paid to the referees' preparation to avoid mistakes in such matches.
The Zamin.uz editorial team wishes our national team success in the upcoming matches and believes, together with our fans, that a new history will be created. "The only goal is the World Cup!" — this idea still lives in the hearts of millions, just like our team.
