Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal to officiate Scotland's first World Cup match since 1998

Mustapha Ghorbal will referee Scotland’s Group C clash against Haiti at the 2026 World Cup in Boston — the Scots’ first World Cup appearance since France 1998.

The Algerian official is joined by compatriots Mokrane Gourari and Abbes Akram Zerhouni as assistant referees, with Spain’s Alejandro Hernandez serving as fourth official.

Ghorbal arrives at the tournament carrying some baggage. In April, he overturned a goal during an African Champions League semi-final first leg before VAR backed his decision. The beneficiaries of that call went on to win the match 1-0, sparking furious scenes at full time — Ghorbal required a police escort to leave the ground as spectators threw water bottles at the officiating team.

Despite that controversy, his credentials for a major tournament are well established. Ghorbal took charge of two group stage matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has refereed at each of the last four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. Most recently, he oversaw Egypt’s 3-2 victory against Cote d’Ivoire at AFCON, and he was also the man in the middle for Manchester City’s 6-0 demolition of Al-Ain in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Statistically, Ghorbal is a busy card-giver: he has shown more than 1,000 yellow cards in fewer than 300 career matches, averaging close to four bookings per game.

Scotland head into the fixture in strong form, having scored eight goals across their two pre-tournament warm-up wins — a 4-0 defeat of Bolivia and a 4-1 victory over Curacao. Steve Clarke’s side are competing in a 48-team World Cup for the first time, with the expanded format spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.